Governor Andy Beshear signed a game changer bill in late March to make insulin more affordable in Kentucky.
For Madison County native David Johnson, it was a day he worked so long for.
“I am very grateful that this bill was passed,” Johnson said of the legislation.
Johnson, who suffers from type 1 diabetes, is also the founder of a Facebook group and movement called Kentuckians for Affordable Insulin.
The bill, Johnson said, does just that.
House Bill 95 caps insulin costs for many Commonwealth residents to $ 30 per 30-day care – a state with one of the highest rates for diabetes.
However, the upper limit applies to people with government-regulated health plans or plans purchased on the market exchange, government employees, and people on group plans.
Johnson said that while that bill does not benefit people like him who receive occupational health care; The bill is a start to helping the more than half a million Kentuckians with diabetes.
He said the bill will help with the exchange about 30% of the true.
“This won’t be the only bill,” he said confidently. “There will be others. … you have to start somewhere and this will form the basis of the work and set a precedent for future bills that can be presented when they return to the meeting. “
Johnson said the move marks the first time in Kentucky history that the government has regulated the cost of insulin.
Johnson said other laws had not been passed in recent years.
In 2019, Johnson helped draft a bill that would have capped a 30-day insulin supply to $ 100 for everyone.
Despite failing, Johnson said he was “tickled to death” to help anyone with diabetes with House 95 Bill.
“It may not help some people with a higher co-payment, but hopefully at the end of the day we helped someone save some money because it just isn’t about a person,” he said.
Johnson said the bill would not have passed without the help of so many people who have diabetes or know someone who does.
Senator Danny Bentley, who has type 1 diabetes, is one of those people.
“As a type 1 diabetic, I understand firsthand how frightening it can be when you can’t afford your medication,” Bentley said in a recent interview with the Associated Press. “We need to make sure that those in need of this life-saving drug have access to it at all times. This bill is designed to keep people healthy, keep people productive, and reduce the cost of complications related to diabetes. “
Johnson hopes to continue advocating affordable insulin and helping Kentuckians stricken with diabetes.
“You have to start somewhere, you just have to,” said Johnson. “All you can do is reach for the stars and keep building.”
More information is available at facebook.com/kyforinsulin.
