[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 187 (Monday, November 13, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5720-H5724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL DIABETES MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on the subject of this Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I 
rise today to coanchor this CBC Special Order hour. I thank my 
distinguished colleague, Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of 
Florida.
  For the next 60 minutes we have a chance to speak directly to the 
American people on issues of great importance to the Congressional 
Black Caucus, Congress, the constituents we represent, and all 
Americans.
  Our Special Order hour today will focus on a very urgent and pressing 
issue for our community, and that is the recognition of November as 
National Diabetes Month.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Brown), my 
colleague from the city of Cleveland.
  Ms. BROWN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Jackson and Congresswoman 
Cherfilus-McCormick. I thank our CBC colleagues for speaking tonight on 
this important topic and for the incredible work they do on so many 
issues impacting our communities.
  National Diabetes Month is a call to action. It is a call to action 
to invest in our people, invest in our neighborhoods, and invest in 
public health and medical research. It is a call to take the simple and 
direct actions that are often right in front of us.
  Just a few weeks ago, President Biden declared November to be 
National Diabetes Month.
  While diabetes is truly a widespread problem, it is also a disease 
that shows some of the deeper sickness of America's history. Roughly 
one in eight Black Americans has diabetes, and nearly 40 percent of the 
population that doesn't have diabetes is already prediabetic. It is not 
just an older person's disease.

                              {time}  2045

  In the last two decades, the prevalence of diabetes among people 
under 20 who are Black and Hispanic Americans has increased by 95 
percent.
  Mr. Speaker, when you add it all up, Black Americans are 60 percent 
more likely than White Americans to have diabetes.
  In Cuyahoga County, which I represent, the Black diabetes rate is 25 
percent. For Whites, it is 7 percent. When the CDC released the Census 
tract data, it showed there were neighborhoods in Cleveland where the 
diabetes rate was nearly 40 percent.
  We aren't just more likely to have this disease; it is also hitting 
Black people much harder. Nationwide, we are two-and-one-half times 
more likely to be hospitalized by diabetes than White Americans, and we 
are twice as likely to die from diabetes.
  There is a lot that is broken here, and it doesn't have to be this 
way. Three years ago, as a member of the Cuyahoga County Council, I 
helped lead the effort to pass a resolution declaring racism as a 
public health crisis, and diabetes is one of the indicators we pointed 
to. It has so many systemic and structural factors: the legacies of Jim 
Crow and slavery, poverty and a lack of opportunity, denied access to 
healthcare, and a lack of doctors and nurses from our community who can 
hear us and listen to us. There are so

[[Page H5721]]

many different factors all coming together to produce a disparate 
impact.
  In so many ways, this is the same story we see repeated with Black 
maternal health and other racial health disparities.
  Unfortunately, with diabetes rates this high, it is having a cascade 
effect on our overall well-being because diabetes is expensive, 
chronic, and potentially deadly.
  We just saw this with the pandemic. Four in 10 adults who died from 
COVID-19 also had diabetes.
  Nonetheless, step one is identifying the problem, and that is why we 
are here this evening. Step two is action. We have real progress to 
celebrate thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which established a 
$35 per month cap on insulin costs for those on Medicare. In response 
to the IRA, Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical companies also announced 
price caps and price reductions for people with non-Medicare insurance.
  Not a single Republican in either Chamber voted for the Inflation 
Reduction Act. Nevertheless, Democrats in Congress and the Biden-Harris 
administration stepped forward to deliver anyway.
  Just about every week, there is another effort by House Republicans 
to repeal some part of it, but the IRA is here to stay. Black Americans 
are benefiting from this law. The IRA is lowering healthcare costs for 
seniors across the country and saving many of our constituents hundreds 
of dollars a year.
  While the data around diabetes is alarming, the Inflation Reduction 
Act shows that we don't have to accept the unacceptable. We have a lot 
more work to do to address diabetes and public health disparities more 
broadly. The stark disparities with diabetes were centuries in the 
making. We can't change that past, but we can build a better future.
  We need to make healthcare more affordable, from drugs and treatment 
to coverage. We also need to ensure that healthcare providers look like 
America and look like the communities they serve. We need to help train 
the next generation of Black medical professionals. We need to invest 
in SNAP and WIC so people can afford healthy food. We need to invest in 
and fully fund NIH and CDC efforts to study diabetes and treat diabetes 
so we can improve care.
  The budget fight we have been fighting for the past 6 months shows 
where each party is aligned and whose side they are on. If we cut 
funding for SNAP, push more people off Medicaid, continue to cut 
investments in public health, and forbid every Federal agency from even 
using the words ``equity, diversity, and inclusion,'' then we know 
exactly what will happen and who will suffer.
  The stakes are clear, and my CBC colleagues and I are going to keep 
fighting for our constituents.
  Mr. Speaker, let's fight diabetes and help every American live a 
healthy life.
  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank our distinguished 
colleague, Congresswoman Shontel Brown from Ohio's 11th Congressional 
District, for her leadership within the Congressional Black Caucus and 
for highlighting and focusing our attention and, indeed, the Nation's 
attention on this critical issue of diabetes.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from Illinois and 
the gentlewoman from Florida for the opportunity to speak. I absolutely 
thank my colleague from the great State of Ohio for bringing this issue 
to the forefront and having a press conference this afternoon to 
discuss this dreaded disease.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the problem of diabetes in Black 
communities nationwide. It is an honor to do it during National 
Diabetes Awareness Month.
  As a diabetic, daily life is a constant challenge. I will have to get 
up at 4 clock tomorrow morning to go to dialysis, a treatment that I 
need three times a week to survive. That means I risk exposure to the 
coronavirus or any other ailment when I receive treatments in rooms 
full of other patients. It is a problem that many of America's 37 
million diabetics face every day, and that figure includes 5 million 
Black Americans with diabetes.
  In addition, almost 80 million Americans could develop diabetes due 
to poor diet and health or family history of diabetes. That is one 
reason that diabetes is the most expensive chronic health condition in 
our Nation.
  These health issues are even worse for Black Americans. We are 60 
percent more likely to develop diabetes than our White counterparts, 
and we are twice as likely to die from it than our White counterparts.
  Right now, one in every five Black Americans over the age of 20 has 
diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes, and the prevalence of type 2 
diabetes for Black and Hispanic youth has doubled since 2001.
  The risks are so high that Black Americans are less likely to donate 
a kidney because they fear future health issues. That is why Black 
Americans are twice as likely to receive a kidney transplant from a 
deceased donor than a live one. This can lead to health issues that do 
not happen to patients who receive a kidney from a living donor.
  The more prominent issue is the price of insulin in America. The 
monthly average cost of insulin is almost $650 per month. That is 10 
times higher than the price in other countries. Nevertheless, there is 
hope. There is a $35 cap on insulin in the Inflation Reduction Act for 
Medicare beneficiaries. It helps our seniors save money on this 
lifesaving medication, and they do not have to make the choice between 
food or insulin every month.
  Nonetheless, we need to do more. We need to pass bills like the 
Affordable Insulin Now Act. This bill would cap out-of-pocket costs for 
insulin to the same $35 for all Americans.
  President Biden is working to make that $35 insulin price cap 
permanent for all Americans in other legislation, as well. If we can 
cap insulin payments, then we can help millions of Black Americans 
afford this critical medication.
  That is why this Special Order hour is so important. It brings 
awareness to the fact that minorities are more likely to face diabetes 
and other kidney-related issues.
  In addition, public talks like today's event remind people that 
diabetes is still a serious medical issue. When we increase awareness, 
we increase funding for new treatments and cures. Eventually, we will 
find the new treatments that will make it safer for diabetics.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot wait for those new treatments to happen. That 
will be the day when I can walk out of the dialysis treatment clinic 
for the last time.
  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the honorable 
Congressman Payne from the great State of New Jersey for his remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), who 
is the honorable chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
  Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank both Congressman Jackson and Congresswoman 
Cherfilus-McCormick for their leadership and for co-chairing and co-
anchoring tonight's Special Order hour for the Congressional Black 
Caucus.
  To the previous speaker and my classmate, Representative   Donald 
Payne, I am grateful for his tremendous leadership and personal lived 
experience on this very important topic.
  I am grateful for so many of the other members of the CBC who have 
spoken on the importance of recognizing November as National Diabetes 
Awareness Month and have highlighted the disparate impact that diabetes 
has on the Black community.
  According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Black 
Americans are 60 percent more likely than White Americans to be 
diagnosed with diabetes by a physician. Additionally, the health 
outcomes of Black Americans diagnosed with diabetes are worse than the 
outcomes experienced by White Americans. Black Americans are 2.5 times 
more likely to be hospitalized from long-term complications, 3.2 times 
more likely to be diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, and twice as 
likely to die from this disease.
  We know that the rate of diagnoses among Black Americans is on the 
rise. Over the past two decades, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes for 
Black and Hispanic youth has increased by 95 percent.

[[Page H5722]]

  At the start of the 117th Congress, the Biden-Harris administration 
and Democrats in the majority of the House and Senate made it our 
priority to lower everyday costs for the American people and to improve 
the affordability of lifesaving prescription drugs like insulin. We 
delivered on that promise.
  With unanimous support from the Congressional Black Caucus and House 
and Senate Democrats, President Biden signed into law the Inflation 
Reduction Act, which capped the cost of insulin at $35 per month under 
Medicare prescription drug coverage, traditional Medicare, and Medicare 
Advantage. Because of this action, some private companies have extended 
that reduced cost to others, including children.
  The IRA has significantly improved the affordability and 
accessibility of lifesaving insulin for the 1 in 10 Americans with 
diabetes, including millions of seniors who in some cases were paying 
as much as $400 for a month's supply of insulin.
  After the insulin cap for seniors went into effect, the top three 
insulin manufacturers reduced their prices for all Americans, as I 
indicated. This is what we can do when the government works for the 
people. This is what the Democratic Party does when we are in the 
majority. We put people over politics, and we will continue to do that 
on behalf of the American people, who deserve nothing less.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus, 
including Congresswoman Shontel Brown, who led the CBC in a press 
conference today by marking National Diabetes Month, as well as all of 
our members for their work in uplifting the stories of their 
constituents who are living with diabetes and who have benefited from 
the insulin cap under the Inflation Reduction Act.

                              {time}  2100

  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank our chairman of the 
Congressional Black Caucus, Chairman   Steven Horsford, for those 
powerful words. Again, I thank our esteemed colleague, Congresswoman 
Shontel Brown of Ohio, for having led this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to my colleague from the great State of 
Louisiana, the distinguished Congressman, Mr. Troy Carter.
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend very much for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Ms. Shontel Brown, for leading 
this effort. I also thank my dear friends and colleagues, 
Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Representative Jonathan 
Jackson for leading this Special Order hour on such an important and 
timely issue, one that impacts our community more than almost any other 
health matter.
  Today, we are here to talk about a pressing matter, one that requires 
our collective efforts--National Diabetes Month.
  Diabetes, an epidemic gripping the United States, resonates with me 
personally. According to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, over 34 million Americans face the consequences of 
diabetes, and Louisiana is not exempt from the staggering reality.
  In Louisiana alone, approximately 500,000 residents have been 
diagnosed with diabetes. Shockingly, an additional 113,000 individuals 
are unaware of their condition, heightening their high risks. Moreover, 
a significant portion of Louisiana's adult population grapples with 
prediabetes, teetering on the edge of a diagnosis that could alter 
their lives forever.
  The burden of diabetes is not just physical, but also economic. Each 
year, an estimated 30,000 Louisianians receive a diabetes diagnosis 
resulting in a financial toll of $5.7 billion for my State. These costs 
encompass not only medical expenses, but also additional complications 
that can arise, including heart disease, stroke, amputation, end-stage 
kidney disease, blindness, and, tragically, death.
  The impact of diabetes disproportionately affects communities of 
color. Black Americans are 60 percent more likely than White Americans 
to be diagnosed with diabetes and are twice as likely to die from this 
dreaded disease. It is abundantly clear that the systemic racism is 
intensifying this crisis in the United States. We must ensure that all 
Americans have access to quality, affordable healthcare.
  In the face of this dire situation, there is hope. Last Congress, 
House Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which caps monthly 
insulin costs at $35 for 54,000 Louisianians covered under Medicare. I 
was proud to vote for and in support of this life-changing measure that 
is cutting costs for the people. This is a crucial step toward 
improving lives, preventing diabetes, and ultimately finding a cure.
  However, our responsibility does not end here. As a Member of 
Congress, it is our duty to raise awareness, support prevention 
efforts, and stand united against this threat. Let's use this National 
Diabetes Month as a rallying point to spread awareness and make a 
meaningful impact on the lives of those affected by diabetes around our 
country, not just for Democrats, not for Republicans, but for people, 
for humans, for people that breathe the air that we breathe, and for 
people that live in the communities that we live.
  This is, indeed, a bipartisan issue, one that does not see color, 
race, or any other distinction other than a community that desperately 
needs our leadership to live, to survive, and to thrive.
  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished 
gentleman from the great State of Louisiana, Congressman Troy Carter, 
for his participation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague, the Honorable Sheila Cherfilus-
McCormick from the great State of Florida.
  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of 
National Diabetes Month. This month is important for all of us in the 
United States. More than 37 million Americans have diabetes and we need 
to double down on our efforts to find a cure for this disease.
  During this month, we cannot lose sight of the stark disparities when 
it comes to diabetes in the Black community. Black adults in the U.S. 
are 60 percent more likely than White adults to be diagnosed with this 
debilitating disease.
  This is a national health crisis that deserves our immediate 
attention. Black Americans with diabetes are 2.5 times more likely to 
be hospitalized and are twice as likely to die from this disease.
  As a healthcare executive, I saw this disparity firsthand and the 
impact it had on the communities that I serve in Congress.
  A study conducted at Emory University confirmed what many of us have 
long known to be true.
  Structural racism and geographic inequalities are exacerbating 
diabetic health disparities. Estimates indicate that rates of diabetes 
are 1.5 times higher among people of color, including Black Americans, 
American Indians, Alaska Natives, Hispanics and Asians.
  Statistics emphasize just how serious this epidemic is in my home 
State. According to the Florida Diabetes Alliance, an estimated 579,000 
Floridians have diabetes but don't know it, greatly increasing their 
health risk and dying.
  Yet despite inequalities, African Americans are 19 percent less 
likely to access newer diabetes treatment. That means that they are 19 
percent less likely to access medication which could mean a healthier 
and longer life.
  Every American, no matter the color of their skin or their ZIP Code 
should be able to receive the best treatment options available with no 
questions asked.
  This month, let us recommit and address the social determinants of 
healthcare and recognize the impact they have in driving diabetes 
disparities. This encompasses everything from accessing green space and 
how long it takes to get to the grocery store. It comes down to whether 
patients live near a healthcare facility where they can speak to a 
provider and receive leading-edge diabetes care. It is a matter of 
whether our kids are eating nutritious lunches in the cafeteria.

  If we want to get serious about tackling the disproportionate rates 
of diabetes among Black Americans, this is where we need to start.
  By focusing on the social determinants of healthcare, we would lay 
the groundwork for a better and healthier future.

[[Page H5723]]

  

  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Cherfilus-
McCormick for her statement.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring vaunted and valuable attention to 
one of the greatest health challenges plaguing the American people and 
to declare that this body needs to do more to alleviate the pain.
  The month of November has been designated as being National Diabetes 
Month and the goal of this designation is to highlight the 
disproportionate impact diabetes continues to have on the communities I 
represent.
  Never before has one chronic disease so diabolically focused its fury 
on Black and Brown people, which, of course, begs the question as to 
whether or not the proliferation of this silent killer is connected to 
the quality of food and economic choices of those very same 
communities.
  The physiology of Black and Brown people is not in any way 
predisposed to be more vulnerable to this disease than any other group 
of people, and yet diabetes continues to destroy Black and Brown lives 
at a rate that is more than disproportional but diabolic as well.
  Since 2001, the proliferation of Type 2 diabetes among Black and 
Brown youth has increased at a rate of 95 percent, Mr. Speaker.
  According to the National Health Institute, young people between the 
ages of 10 and 19 years of age have seen instances of Type 2 diabetes 
double among them. Two out of every 100 Black and indigenous American 
youth now suffer from this disease, and it is accelerating at an 
alarming pace.
  As I stand before you here, I shudder to think about the implications 
associated with the level of increase, what that will mean for the 
quality of life of families of young people currently sinking into this 
chronic abyss.

                              {time}  2110

  Whether we are willing to acknowledge it or not, the way we currently 
treat, talk about, and address this disease will leave this country 
vulnerable to a medical tsunami the likes of which no one on this 
planet has ever seen.
  We cannot be silent about this because if we do nothing, African 
Americans are twice as likely as any other group to die from this 
disease.
  If we do nothing, African-American adults are twice as likely to be 
hospitalized because of diabetes and suffer long-term complications 
more than any other group.
  If we do nothing, Black people in this country are three times more 
likely to be diagnosed with renal disease which, of course, is a portal 
that leads to a whole host of other debilitating morbidities.
  If we just sit around and dither, Black people will be 60 percent 
more likely to be diagnosed with a disease that has the power to kill 
them. Let us not forget that African Americans currently make up 13 
percent of the American population. When 95 percent of the young people 
that make up 13 percent of your entire population are currently 
slipping down the slippery slope of diabetes, someone has to sound the 
alarm.
  This is why every American should be glad that President Biden has 
declared November to be National Diabetes Month, and all of us should 
be glad because this is a conversation we need to have. The time for us 
to act as if this is not a national emergency is over.
  Diabetes in the American population has crossed the Rubicon. We are 
well beyond the point of no return, and if we do not decide that the 
health and healthcare of every American, particularly African 
Americans, is a priority equal in its importance to national security, 
then we will rue the day we buried our heads in the sand and 
preoccupied ourselves with the seasonal foolishness of partisan 
politics.
  This is not a red State or blue State issue. The American people are 
dying. The American people are suffering. The American people are 
looking to the government they elected to do something in its power to 
help, help them fight and ward off the devastating effects of this 
debilitating disease.
  Last year, millions of Americans reported hoarding insulin because of 
shortages. The overwhelming need is manifesting itself nationwide. Who 
would have thought that people who live in the world's greatest country 
in the history of the world would have to hoard medication? Could any 
of us have ever imagined that the need for insulin would be so 
expansive that hoarding the medication would be a necessity or even an 
option, but this is where we find ourselves. This is the reality 
millions of Americans have to live with every day.
  This is the minute-to-minute struggle for countless American families 
trying not to lose hope amid a sea of chronic and cataclysmic medical 
consequences. To those of you, I say hold on and don't give up. If we 
are determined to do something about it here in this Congress, we can 
say that elections have consequences because, indeed, they do.
  One of the positive outcomes of the last Presidential election is the 
fact that President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., is the duly elected President 
of the United States, and he helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act to 
help us deal with the runaway cost of insulin. Now insulin is $35 a 
month. That is very much a welcome relief in my neighborhood.
  As an American, not only as a Democrat, I am glad that we have 
someone in the Oval Office who cares about what this disease is doing 
to our country. It says a lot about the character and integrity of the 
President that he would go out of his way to address this issue when so 
many other problems have been vying for his attention over the last 3 
years.
  However, I also say to you, we can do more. We simply cannot avoid 
the connection between the systemic inequities of America and the 
incredible racial disparities by which diabetes continues to 
proliferate in the Black community.
  In fact, in a recent study conducted at Emory University, it was 
suggested, if not directly implied, that structural racism is 
accelerating the diabetes crisis in the United States of America. 
Therefore, potentially what we have here is not just a medical crisis, 
what we have happening in America is also a social and a cultural 
crisis.
  When it comes to diabetes and the Black community, it would appear 
that our current crisis is the result of a strange confluence of 
issues. Nutritional opportunities, access to fruit and vegetables, and 
the inability to afford healthy nutritional options have all come 
together to make an already terrible situation worse.
  More and more researchers are discovering that the race, geography, 
and economy of a community can be an overwhelming determining factor 
for understanding the impact of this debilitating and chronic disease. 
This is why I have been a major proponent of the Gus Schumacher 
Nutrition Incentive Program, the GusNIP. I am a major supporter of this 
program because it allows the Secretary of Agriculture to provide 
funding opportunities to conduct and evaluate projects providing 
incentives to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables for low-
income consumers.
  For many years, the other party has wanted us to believe that 
government is the problem, but what they forget to tell you is that 
sometimes national problems require national solutions; and there is a 
role, indeed, for government.
  In this program, it is critical for us to also understand that we 
cannot retreat on SNAP. There are too many Americans who need the 
supplemental nutritional assistance. Let us be clear, the same way we 
incentivize big corporations and wealthy individuals with tax breaks, 
we should have the moral courage to incentivize healthy choices for 
low-income Americans.
  What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. If incentives 
work for rich people, then let them also work to save the lives of 
working-class and low-income Americans.
  As I stand here tonight, I am actively working to see this program is 
fully funded this year. This is something we must do. We owe it to the 
American people to do everything we can to help them save lives.
  Let me simply say that it is about time we start incentivizing things 
that keep people alive and not just behaviors that make people more 
money. It is my great hope and expectation that the expansion of GusNIP 
will allow the program to run more efficiently and increase cooperation 
between recipients and the Federal Government.
  I also believe that a greater emphasis needs to be placed on the 
Healthy Food

[[Page H5724]]

Financing Initiative, created back in the Obama administration to 
provide grants and technical assistance to empower families to have 
access to fresh, healthy, and affordable foods in rural and urban 
communities that are underserved.
  Most people fail to realize that the overwhelming instances of hunger 
in America are not happening in American cities. It is, rather, taking 
place in rural communities. This is why I am pleased that the 
Department of Agriculture partnered with the Reinvestment Fund to 
invest $22.6 million to improve access to healthy foods in underserved 
communities.
  We have an obligation to do all that we can do to empower ordinary, 
everyday American citizens to make choices that will sustain their 
lives. As a government, we cannot make the choice for them, but we can 
create a better set of options for them to make lifesaving decisions 
for themselves.
  What good is balancing the budget if the American people are sick and 
dying from chronic disease?
  What good is having a strong military or defense if the American 
people are withering away from diabetes and other morbidities that 
slowly eat away the health of the Nation?
  A coherent and stringent immigration policy will mean absolutely 
nothing if the people who are already citizens of this country are 
dying from diseases that we can avoid.
  Everything that America is and everything we hope it to be depends on 
the health and safety of our citizens. In the absence of being healthy, 
there is no American Dream.
  I say to my colleagues, let us do everything that we can to empower 
people to have greater health, longer life, and what every American 
deserves; namely, three meals a day for their bodies, education and 
culture for their minds, and, yes, freedom and dignity for their souls.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the Honorable Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.

                              {time}  2120

  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Jackson of 
Illinois for co-anchoring, and I give a very special thank-you to our 
CBC chair, Representative Horsford, for his work, and also to 
Congresswoman Shontel Brown for hosting a press conference we held 
earlier.
  Mr. Speaker, in recognition of National Diabetes Month, I rise today 
to commend the Biden-Harris administration for their work to deliver 
lower insulin costs for the American people.
  Because of the administration's transformative Inflation Reduction 
Act, nearly 4 million seniors on Medicare with diabetes are seeing 
their insulin costs capped at $35. Because of this, pharmaceutical 
companies like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have followed suit and also 
capped their insulin prices at $35 a month.
  This is a massive win for our seniors nationwide, including those in 
Florida's 20th Congressional District. The life-changing cap that has 
helped over 29,000 of my constituents pay $440 less each year in 
insulin is worth it. These savings are making a tremendous difference 
when it comes to health outcomes.
  Medication is not something that those living with diabetes can go 
without. Over 80 percent of adults with diabetes depend on medication 
to manage their conditions.
  While this cap is putting money back into our seniors' pockets, we 
still have more work to do. As President Biden has made clear, 
affordable insulin should be accessible to all Americans, not just 
Medicare beneficiaries.
  It is devastating that nearly a fifth of insulin users have to ration 
their insulin use. In a country like ours, how can this be the case?
  Stark healthcare disparities also underscore the need for us to do 
more and to act. Diabetes rates are skyrocketing within communities of 
color. Since 2001, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes for Black and 
Hispanic children has increased by a staggering 95 percent. Let me 
repeat that one more time: increased by 95 percent for our Black and 
Hispanic children.
  Nobody should be forced to choose between paying their rent and 
buying insulin. No one should die because they had to ration their 
insulin. No one should go blind or lose limbs because they could not 
afford medication. Your life shouldn't be put on hold because you were 
diagnosed with diabetes.
  As Americans, we can and must do better. Last Congress, I was proud 
to vote for the Affordable Insulin Now Act to clamp down on runaway 
insulin prices threatening Floridians' health and financial security. 
We need to get this bill across the finish line and make diabetes 
treatment more affordable.
  Americans all over, no matter their political affiliations, stand to 
benefit from low insulin costs. Every American, no matter the color of 
their skin or their ZIP Code, deserves a healthy and fulfilling life 
and a dignified existence. Every American deserves to grow old with 
dignity.
  Diabetes is both preventable and manageable. Let's act now. Those 
living with diabetes cannot wait.
  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, these are the issues of the 
Congressional Black Caucus.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________