Diabetic ketoacidosis is a terrible way to die. It’s what happens when you don’t have enough insulin. Your blood sugar gets so high that your blood becomes highly acidic, your cells dehydrate, and your body stops functioning.
The price of insulin in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2012. That has put the life-saving hormone out of reach for some people with diabetes, and has left others scrambling for solutions to afford the one thing they need to live. I’m one of those scrambling.
Most people’s bodies create insulin, which regulates the amount of sugar in the blood. In the U.S., the roughly 1.25 million of us with Type 1 diabetes have to buy insulin at a pharmacy because our pancreases stopped producing it.
Rationing insulin is a dangerous solution. Still, 1 in 4 people with diabetes admits to having done it. I’ve done it. My first vial of insulin cost $24.56 in 2010, after insurance. Eight years later, I pay more than $100.
the list price for a single vial of insulin is more than $250, without insurance. Most patients use two to four vials per month (I personally use two). Without insurance or other forms of medical assistance, those prices can get out of hand quickly.
Something should and needs to be done about it before even more people die simply because they can’t afford this life saving and needed medication.
