In case you missed it, U.S. House Republicans yesterday lined up against Democratic efforts to lower health care costs by capping the out-of-pocket cost of insulin — with Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Billy Long siding with health insurance corporations instead of the Missourians he’s supposed to represent.
Via NBC News:
The House passed legislation Thursday that would cap the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for the millions of diabetic Americans who rely on the drug.
Lawmakers approved the measure in a 232-193 vote, with just a dozen Republicans joining Democrats in support. It now heads to the Senate.
Even though “37.3 million people in the U.S. have diabetes,” Long was among the 193 House Republicans voting against capping the cost of insulin — following heavy lobbying from health insurance corporations eager to avoid shouldering those costs.
Since joining Congress, Long has taken thousands of dollars in corporate campaign contributions from PACs run by insulin manufacturers, according to FEC filings — including at least $16,000 from Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Eli Lilly, “[t]hree companies” that “have long dominated the U.S. insulin market.”
Sadly, it’s not the first time Long has sided with health insurance corporations and Big Pharma to help keep drug prices high. Last November, Long voted against allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. And Long previously voted to gut Affordable Care Act coverage protections and let insurance companies charge higher premiums to older Americans and people with pre-existing health conditions.
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Published: Apr 1, 2022 | Last Modified: Aug 29, 2022