This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight. For more stories from Mountain State Spotlight, visit www.mountainstatespotlight.org.
When Maggie Reider’s first grade son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2008, her first thought was, “Is this a death sentence?”
“My only knowledge [of the disease] was what happened in ‘Steel Magnolias’, ”Reider said, referring to the film with a diabetic, Julia Roberts, who dies of kidney failure shortly after giving birth to her first child. “I was afraid things wouldn’t end well.”
Then Reider became familiar with the disease that occurs when a person’s body fails to produce insulin. Serious organ damage can occur if left untreated, but the native Morgantowner has learned that her son can lead a healthy life with the right treatment.
But this management would come at a high price.
The cost of treating diabetes has made headlines locally and nationally in recent years as the price of insulin – used by diabetics to regulate blood sugar – has risen and insurance coverage has not kept pace. According to the Health Care Cost Institute, the cost of routine care for a person with type 1 diabetes was around $ 18,000 per year in 2016. Since then, prices have risen.
In West Virginia, a state with the highest diabetes death rate in the country and one of the highest percentages of its population below the poverty line, the drugs and equipment necessary to best manage the disease are inaccessible to many.
Legislators are again considering a bill to reduce the cost of critical diabetic devices. The bill, which was introduced in the House of Delegates with the support of both parties, has yet to be put on a committee agenda. This is usually the first sign that he has a chance of adoption.
Diabetes management used to only involve fingerprints and test strips to check blood sugar throughout the day. However, as technology has advanced, technology has evolved into sensors, pumps, and monitors that automate the process and provide a more consistent and accurate reading in real time. Studies have shown that these newer methods improve health outcomes, but the equipment is expensive and only available to those who can afford it.
“When we used simple syringes with insulin vials, it was expensive. But as my son got older and the technology got better, things got really expensive, ”Reider said. “It all adds up. But it’s lifesaving to make it work.”
For Reider’s family, “making it work” meant taking a second job.
As a widow and single mother, when her son was diagnosed, Reider said her schoolteacher’s salary was insufficient to cover treatment costs. So she took a job as a waitress on the side.
When her son Roxy Vasil turned 16, he got a job at a funeral home. The money he earned helped pay for the sensors for his continuous glucose monitor that he wears on his arm. It provides continuous monitoring and automatically notifies him when he needs insulin. It used to be a guessing game – he would draw blood from his finger regularly throughout the day.
Last year, West Virginia law passed a bill capping the cost of insulin to $ 100 for a 30-day supply in response to rising costs. Legislators who backed the legislation said it was a good first step, but insulin is just one of the many tools needed to treat diabetes.
Now a house bill with cross-party sponsorship wants to go one step further. Sponsored by Bill Matthew Rohrbach, R-Cabell, and by Del. Barbara Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, co-sponsored House Bill 2708 would lower the insulin cap from $ 100 to $ 25 and apply the same cap on drug supplies and equipment in addition to insulin as well.
Rohrbach, a doctor who serves as the vice chairman of the House Health and Human Resources Committee, did not return requests for comment. However, during a panel discussion in early February, Rohrbach said the bill would improve the health, economy and wellbeing of West Virginia.
“We have really made headway [in technology used to treat diabetes]”Said Rohrbach.” Unfortunately, many people have no access for reasons of cost. “
And when preventive treatment is not possible, more people get sick and die.
“We can prevent the long-term consequences of diabetes – organ damage, heart attacks, strokes – with better diabetes control,” said Rohrbach.
These consequences are borne disproportionately by the Black West Virginians. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death for the state’s black residents. According to 2018 data, non-Hispanic blacks were twice as likely to die of diabetes as non-Hispanic whites nationwide.
“This bill is really intended to try to make it easier for individuals to access these life-saving drugs and technologies and to limit the impact on the future,” said Rohrbach.
The bill was not put on the agenda of the House Committee on Health and Human Resources, which means no testimony for or against the legislation has been heard. But last year private insurance companies and the State Insurance Commissioner’s Office rejected the bill. They expressed concerns that the limited co-payments would affect the market. The Insurance Commissioner’s office did not answer questions about whether last year’s legislation had an impact on the market.
Fleischauer says similar laws have already been passed in other states. She said HB 2708 was modeled on the laws passed in Connecticut last year.
“Connecticut has one of the lowest diabetes death rates in the country, and they passed this legislation,” Fleischauer said. “If you can take this step to save lives, so can we.”
Reider and Vasil both said the legislation would make a big difference for families like theirs.
“Diabetes does not discriminate. It affects Democrats and Republicans alike, so I hope lawmakers can come together and pass this on for the West Virgins, ”Reider said.
Vasil, who is now a freshman, said access to the high-tech devices has changed the way he deals with the disease.
“I lost weight, my goodness [sugar levels] have improved and because of my CGM I am more motivated to stay healthy, ”said Vasil. “I think every diabetic should have access to one.”
The deadline for passing the law by the House of Representatives – and handing it over to the Senate – ends on March 31.
Reach reporter Lauren Peace at laurenpeace@mountainstatespotlight.org
Pictured are Roxy Vasil and Maggie Reider. (Roxy Vasil | Courtesy)
