[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 6, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H4199]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         AFFORDABLE INSULIN NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Garcia) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the incredible 
impact the bipartisan Affordable Insulin Now Act will have on Americans 
across the Nation.
  It is no secret diabetes poses a major health burden to Americans 
across our country. Texas, in particular, suffers greatly from the 
effects of type 2 diabetes. Every day, new Texans are diagnosed. On top 
of that, the rate of new cases increases every single year.
  This topic, Mr. Speaker, hits very close to home. I have seen 
firsthand the hurdles diabetes creates for families simply looking to 
live a quiet life and be alone and have a good, productive life. In my 
family, my mother faced uphill health battles because of diabetes most 
of her adult life. She died eventually of diabetes complications.
  Diabetes runs in my family. In fact, my doctor tells me that no 
matter what I do, I may end up getting diabetes. I am one of 10 
children. Five of us have already gotten diabetes and are dependent on 
insulin.
  Sadly, this epidemic disproportionately impacts older adults, 
especially Latinos, minorities, and populations with lower levels of 
education. It remains one of the leading causes of death in Texas and 
the United States. In my own home county of Harris County, diabetes is 
the fifth leading cause of death.
  Even when purchased through Medicare, insulin is more than three 
times as expensive in the United States than in the U.K. The bipartisan 
Affordable Insulin Now Act is truly needed to save lives.
  The Affordable Insulin Now Act caps insulin copays at $35 per month 
or 25 percent of an insurance plan's negotiated price, whichever is 
lower. It is a great first step, and it will save lives. But more must 
be done.
  You see, Mr. Speaker, Americans without health insurance will not 
benefit from this bill. This will help those residents who are 
fortunate to already have health insurance, and we welcome this 
support. Again, it is a great first step. But much more is very needed.
  Texas is the State with the highest rate of uninsured individuals 
and, in my district, 33 percent of the residents in my district do not 
have health insurance.
  In fact, Mr. Speaker, my district has the highest number of uninsured 
people than in any other district in the Nation. To make matters worse, 
diabetes is highly concentrated in east Texas, the area where I live. 
It pains me that these folks were not included in the bill.
  The immense health and emotional challenges diabetes brings to 
households are burdensome enough; but its economic strain is ruthless 
to families not fortunate enough to have insurance.
  Because of corporate greed and companies focused only on profits, 
Texans without medical insurance face astronomical prices for insulin. 
In short, people with diabetes have medical expenses approximately 2.3 
times higher than those who do not have diabetes.
  The out-of-pocket costs for healthcare and insulin have crippled 
hardworking Americans across our country. It has gotten so bad that one 
in four people have rationed, rationed lifesaving insulin because they 
could not afford proper dosage amounts. This is unacceptable and wrong, 
and we must do better.
  No one--I repeat, no one--should have to gamble with their health by 
rationing insulin to make ends meet. The bipartisan Affordable Insulin 
Now Act will save lives, and it is a great step forward. But I will 
continue fighting for residents across my district who do not currently 
have health insurance but do need insulin. We will continue to fight 
until we get it done.

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