STAT Plus: Private insurance might provide some shield from insulin price hikes — but the picture of costs is complicated
Although the cost of insulin has risen dramatically over the years and prompted a political furor, a new analysis contradicts the widely-held view that out-of-pocket spending is “excessive” – at least for many privately insured people with diabetes. But some experts say the situation is much more complicated.
Between 2006 and 2017, private health plans saw their costs nearly triple, from a median of $143 for a 30-day prescription to $394, according to the analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine. But at the same time, overall out-of-pocket spending by patients did not show a similar increase.
