Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard has worked in the diabetes research field ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.
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31 Comments
How much do you currently pay out-of-pocket for one month’s supply of insulin? Cancel reply
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My state legislature passed a law regulating the cost of insulin for patients. But that doesn’t stop the drug companies from charging my Medicare plan $1000 per vial, and I use one vial of lispro and one vial of glargine every 28 days. These drug companies need to be turned into non-profit.
I use Humalog in my pump and my co-pay is $30. It would be $30 whether I get 1 vial a month or 3. If I was on injections I’d have to pay an additional $30 for a long acting insulin.
I live in the UK so insulin is free
if on Medicare with pump, insulin is free via Part B coverage.
It’s nice coverage, but unfortunately not so for all on Medicare. It all depends on specific Medicare policy negotiations and what state you live in.
Pay $0 after paying $325 in Medicare Ins. Premiums
I have Medicare and full coverage BC/BS insurance. I pay $20 a month for Novolog and $$315 for a 90-supply (2 vials) of Tresiba for a total of $125 a month for insulin.
Live in Sweden so insulin is free for all T1D (or actually paid by the general Healthcare insurance/Swedish income taxes, but I don’t consider that as a “pay out-of-pocket” expense).
Currently $0, but until I meet my $3500 deductible, about $300 per vial. I get two per month.
On Medicare. Zero dollars after meeting annual deductible. Considered durable medical supplies for insulin pump.
Have good health insurance, Cigna PPO and before that BC/BS PPO. I have whatever my plan costs per pay (am employed nearing retirement) and then pay $0 for insulin without having to meet a deductible. It is my pump supplies that cost me about $625 per year, as long as I make sure I do the second order after meeting deductible.
Until recently when I was MDI, my Medicare Part D with Express Scripts had $0 co-pay for insulin. But that does mean that I would get to the infamous donut and would have to start paying lots out-of-pocket. Now that I am back on the pump, Medicare and my Medigap policy pays through Part B so I pay nothing after meeting the Part B deductible.
After I meet my deductible of $2000, I pay 20% which is $80 for 3 month supply until my out of pocket max of $4000 is met.
I am on a Cigna Medicare RX using their Mail Order Express Scripts. So my out of pocket is for this monthly premium that covers insulin as a tier 6 drug. So I pay no co-pays for insulin other than the monthly premium and the coverage gap is also covered for insulin starting this current year.
USA/AZ I use lantus & humalog. I have no insurance, so I cross the border to Mexico, or buy it when we travel to other countries. Lantus is about $50/bottle, Humalog about $35. Usually at Walmart pharmacy, but also small ones. No scrip needed in most countries, & drug manufacturer is the same. Been doing this for 12 years.
I should have clicked on $1 – $50.
Fortunately, I get supplied by the VA.
Right now $35 copay for a 30 day supply of pump use Novolog on a regional NYS health insurance Medicare Advantage plan. I have back-up supply scripts written for MDI use that are covered as well at the $35/mo co-pay but my endocrine provider usually gives me sample pens of Tresiba, Novolog, and Fiasp to use as needed for MDI use.
Wow – reading everyone’s comments shows that despite all the progress of ongoing advocacy efforts there is still no consistent rhyme or reason across the board to regulate the cost of insulin in the US.
It is no panacea for those of us on Medicare because the rigmarole of premiums, deductibles, and donut hole spending outweigh any temporary relief of a lower co-pay for insulin.
After my $3000 deductible we pay nothing for insulin or supplies.
This issue irritates me, or as Peter Griffin in Family Guy would say, “It grinds my hearts”. I’m on Medicare with an advantage plan. If I were on MDI my co-pays would be much less, $90 a month for Novolog since it’s a tier 4 (I’m allergic to the preferred brand), and less for Lantus (partD) Because I’m on a tube pump (Omnipod is excluded from this) my insulin is covered under Part B with a20% copay. My personal opinion is that insulin should be one cost no matter if you’re on a pump or MDI, and we should have freedom of choice of the insulin we use. And I know from state to state, insurance to insurance there is no consistency.
Zero, if not including the monthly insurance premiums.
I have employer provided health insurance (HMO/POS). $15/mo Co-pay for one vial of Humalog insulin, which I use via pump. Another $15/month for BG test strips. I also have to pay 50% of my pump/CGM supply cost, which runs ~$750 every 3-4 months. I’m lucky to be able to afford this at this phase of life, but worry that such cost is a barrier to optimizing T1D care for many.
We have a nice insurance in the US and insulin is free. It makes no sense that it wouldn’t be for a company as the complications of hyperglycemia would be more expensive.
IF I could afford to buy my insulin as I should, it would be $272 a month for Novolog. I’m Medicare with an Advantage Plan, Novolog is not covered so they don’t pay any of it. I’m allergic to the insulin they do cover. My pump & dexcom supplies are covered 80/20.
@Kristine Warmecke has your doctor written a letter of necessity for you? That may help with your co-pay.
Do you know anybody that goes to Canada for work or pleasure. I only use one bottle a month of Novalog or Humalog or Apidra, which ever is on sale. The cost of one of these bottles was approx $40 last time i was there. I purchased 20 bottles from different pharmacies and had no problems
My copay for 90 days is $60, but it stops about midyear when we have reached our family copay limit.
$570 during deductible
$50 after deductible met
My copay relatively reasonable except that I pay 18% of my net salary for my health insurance. Then there’s that insulin is more than a century old and even the synthetic analogs we use today are 4 decades. It is the only medicine the government allows the patent not to expire toadying to pharmaceutical lobby. And the so-called advocacy groups like TD1 do nothing.
My copay for 90 days is $60 dollars regardless of how much or how little insulin I use.
After I pay my deductible it is $25 because Novolog has a coupon.