Trump dramatically reduced the cost of insulin for older Americans

On May 26, the White House announced that as early as 2021, elderly people with diabetes would be able to sign up for Medicare plans that limit their co-payment for insulin in the amount of $ 35 per month, writes NPR.

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The news comes as some polls show Trump is losing support among older people, a voting bloc that could be pivotal in the November election. Trump won among older voters in 2016, but recent polls show him trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden among that group.

New options to lower the cost of insulin are the result of an agreement the Trump administration reached with insulin manufacturers and major insurance companies.

“This is a big day for seniors,” President Trump said in a Rose Garden speech, where he took the opportunity to make several direct attacks on Biden on health care issues.

“We brought everyone to a round table - insurers, manufacturers and other key players - and reached an agreement to deliver insulin at a stable and radically lower price to our seniors. "I hope people will remember this because it was Biden who stumped us because they didn't know what they were doing," Trump said.

Trump has long promised to take measures to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, but could not find a common language with Congress on this issue. Last year, Democrats passed a bill in the House of Representatives, according to which the government will negotiate prices for expensive drugs, tied to costs in other countries.

On the subject: In some US pharmacies, the margin reaches 840%: how to buy drugs cheaper

Some Senate Republicans have supported a more modest plan to limit Medicare prescription costs, but other Trump members oppose market intervention.

According to the White House, more than 3 million people in Medicare use insulin to control diabetes.

Seema Verma, who heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said plans that cap insulin costs will have more expensive premiums — about $17 a month more than the average cost of basic plans.

“In exchange for minimal premium increases, people receive a maximum flat copayment of $35 for a month's supply of insulin,” Verma said. Ultimately, seniors will save about 56%, or $446 a year, on the cost of insulin, she said. New York Times. According to White House consultant Kellianne Conway, the new plan will reduce ongoing expenses by 66%.

Verma says that if the agreement to limit insulin costs is successful, the administration will try to take similar actions with other expensive drugs.

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