All 43 “no” votes came from Republicans.

Democrats fail to overrule parliamentarian on insulin price cap as GOP votes no
[thehill.com]

Senate Democrats fell short of an effort Sunday to overrule a decision by the parliamentarian that effectively struck down a proposal sponsored by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 a month for people not covered by Medicare.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the ranking member of the Budget Committee, sought to enforce the parliamentarian’s ruling that Warnock’s cap on insulin prices violated the Byrd Rule because it would set prices in the commercial market and therefore couldn’t pass with a simple majority vote.

Senate Democrats insisted on a vote to waive the procedural objection to put Republican senators on record, including Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the most vulnerable member of the GOP conference, on the record as opposing a popular proposal to rein in insulin prices.

The Senate voted 57-43 to waive the procedural objection against the insulin price cap but Democrats scored a symbolic victory when seven Republicans voted with the Democrats: Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska).

“We’re going to force them to vote no and put them on the record,” said one Democratic senator before the vote, explaining the political strategy ahead of a vote lawmakers knew ahead of time was going to fail.

All 43 “no” votes came from Republicans.

Senate Health Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said colleagues who voted to override the parliamentarian would allow “people to get insulin at $35 a month.”

“Thirty-seven million people in our country have diabetes, and it’s absolutely wrong that many of them cannot afford the insulin they need to live,” she said. “I’ve heard from people in my state who risk their life and ration insulin to make ends meet, all the while drug companies are jacking up prices.”

“The cost of insulin has tripled over the last decade,” she said.

Needs large billboards in districts with high levels of the disease, announcing that fact.

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Hurts like a bastid...

an interesting group of Republicans to vote for it.

Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)

I'm also surprised that Marco Rubio wasn't in that group. Florida has a high incidence of diabetes along with many seniors struggling to pay for it. He is in a tight reelection race and this will give his opponent strong ammunition.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Under the Byrd Rule, a provision is considered extraneous if it:

1) Does not produce a change in outlays or revenues
2) Increases the deficit beyond the “budget window”
3) Makes changes to Social Security

Graham violated the Byrd Rule, item #1, for citizens.

45 campaigned on reducing the price of insulin.

Did they forget about this, or just can't let the dems have it, or did they decide that his empty and never actually put into effect executive order about Medicare-pricing already took care of it?

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I have seen plenty of people lose their eyes, kidneys, and limbs because they could not afford insulin. I’ve seen them die of heart attacks and strokes in their 40’s.

It takes a special sort of sociopath to gloat over blocking access to affordable insulin. The lack of empathy, of common decency, is appalling. And yet people keep voting these bastards into power.

A country “for the people?” @#$%&.

Family values? Bloody lying pieces of @#$%&.

That party continues to survive through the power of disinformation and propaganda, relying on paranoia and the need that some people have for charismatic leadership to tell them what to think. God help them if they have to think for themselves.

I’ll send my opinions to my senators, but I live in South Carolina, so all that will happen is that I’ll get another form email about how they’re fighting the communist left for the sake of our families, and/or how the 2020 election was stolen.

I’m so angry I can hardly see.

I'm really surprised that the P.O.S. Josh Hawley voted for it, but I guess he's been mocked and embarrassed and memed so much lately that he felt like he had to act decent for a change.

...or someone in his family is diabetic.

This kind of stuff really makes me wonder about the GOP. It's like they hate anyone who isn't a millionaire.

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One of the few occasions that I'm proud of both my state Senators for how they voted. Of course, it could also be because my state leads the nation in rates of diabetes... we're tied with Mississippi, and only beaten by West Virginia: [www.cdc.gov]
(of course, it's possible that Sen. Cassidy, who's a doctor, convinced Kennedy to vote the same way...)

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2022 07:34PM by PeterB.

Quote
RgrF

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

This kind of stuff really makes me wonder about the GOP. It's like they hate anyone who isn't a millionaire.


I've been telling this to a friend of my who proudly declares himself a staunch Republican.

He's also diabetic, but is using oral medication, and had not needed insulin, up to this point.

Diet and exercise are now major priorities, though he's in good shape.

His dad was diabetic and had insulin shots every day for as long has my friend could remember.

He often complained about the high price then.

Not needing it now, he'll not be pleased should he have to use and pay for it.

There will be a time when he wants to tell me how Dems have screwed up the country, and I'll ask him 'what have the Repugs done for you, lately?'.

And I'll remind him that he can afford it.

---

I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

I'm kind of surprised that Romney voted against it. He seems to always want to position himself as the moderate Republican.

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The arts are not luxuries but assets that give way more than they cost.
--Ronald Tucker on YouTube

A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open.
--Frank Zappa

Capping the cost at $35 would significantly cut the supply and risk shortages of this critical drug

Quote
Mr645
Capping the cost at $35 would significantly cut the supply and risk shortages of this critical drug

How and why would it do that? Is that less than it costs to produce it?

Quote
Mr645
Capping the cost at $35 would significantly cut the supply and risk shortages of this critical drug

Whom are you parroting with that BS? If you're going to venture onto this side, bring some actual data.



[worldpopulationreview.com]

"The average gross manufacturer price for a standard unit of insulin in 2018 was more than ten times the price in a sample of 32 foreign countries:$98.70 in the U.S., compared with $8.81 in the 32 non-U.S. OECD countries for which we have prescription drug data. The U.S. prices for the mix of insulin used in the U.S. were 8.1 times prices paid in all non-U.S. OECD countries combined."

[aspe.hhs.gov]

There is an incredible amount of markup in insulin pricing for the US. Relative works at the FDA and has some insight into production costs, generally under $50 a vial, often under $25. I have to buy insulin for my cat, with the only applicable GoodRx coupon that vial costs about $300. If it was prescribed by a doctor for a human instead of a vet, there are coupons to reduce the price to about $200. Even at that price the pharmacy and manufacturer are making a good profit off the vial.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2022 12:51PM by JoeH.

At least were getting 87,000 new IRS agents to go after the rich folks that sell over $600 of used furniture or tools during the year.

Higher taxes, greater spending, the corrupt democratic way

Quote
JoeH
There is an incredible amount of markup in insulin pricing for the US. Relative works at the FDA and has some insight into production costs, generally under $50 a vial, often under $25. I have to buy insulin for my cat, with the only applicable GoodRx coupon that vial costs about $300. If it was prescribed by a doctor for a human instead of a vet, there are coupons to reduce the price to about $200. Even at that price the pharmacy and manufacturer are making a good profit off the vial.

I hear you. I had a cat that turned diabetic in his older years, and $300 for the vial was the going price 4-5 years ago.

Funny though I could have purchased insulin at the current price of $176 for 25mg powdered … from yeast … not medical grade (research grade) human … 98% purity … at 27.5 units/mg … 25 mg … comes to 3.9 units per dollar, or nearly 26 cents per unit. As everyone takes different amounts based on body weight, a common expression to compare would be on a per unit basis. How many units are in that vial, JoeH?

True, if I made it as a solution it wouldn’t be sterile; the company I looked up has to make a profit; that doesn’t include injecting; and of course, it isn’t FDA approved for patient use.

If you are asking if I found the cheapest place, uhhhh no. That price was what I found at Sigma Aldrich, not known for the cheapest compounds. And that was the smallest quantity they listed which will be the most expensive, as larger quantities are discounted.

Meets USP testing specs? $178 for 50 mg, powder.
As you go up in your requirements it tends to get more expensive. Pharmaceutical grade, reference standard, $467/100mg
Insulin glargine, $475/15.27mg (long acting insulin). Also pharmaceutical primary standard.

Primary standard is the cleanest purest form you can get. “Sales restrictions may apply.”

Quote
DeusxMac

Quote
Mr645
Capping the cost at $35 would significantly cut the supply and risk shortages of this critical drug

Whom are you parroting with that BS? If you're going to venture onto this side, bring some actual data.



[worldpopulationreview.com]

"The average gross manufacturer price for a standard unit of insulin in 2018 was more than ten times the price in a sample of 32 foreign countries:$98.70 in the U.S., compared with $8.81 in the 32 non-U.S. OECD countries for which we have prescription drug data. The U.S. prices for the mix of insulin used in the U.S. were 8.1 times prices paid in all non-U.S. OECD countries combined."

[aspe.hhs.gov]

Ok, I'm not saying nothing rotten is going on, but while this is a slam dunk in debunking that we pay the same as other countries for insulin, Mr. 645 didn't say we pay the same as other countries. I don't want to spend all day, but there are apparently quite a number of reasons we pay more, some of which are not what you would think.

"For example, some patients have found that animal-derived forms of insulin work better for them, she says. They cause less variability in blood sugar, and fewer episodes of hypoglycemia.

And while those older kinds of insulin are not available in the U.S., they are available elsewhere."

[www.npr.org]

And from what Joe was saying, if there was a cap of 25.00 on insulin, that could very well be close to cost, which I can see affecting availability if companies choose not to make and sell it with so little profit.

Also, prices vary quite a bit according to the type of insulin (there isn't just one), so that's something to consider.

Again, not saying they aren't charging too much, but if we're going to require data, let's be good consumers of that data.

Quote
Mr645
At least were getting 87,000 new IRS agents to go after the rich folks that sell over $600 of used furniture or tools during the year.

Higher taxes, greater spending, the corrupt democratic way

Follow in your book as we learn our next three words in Turkish.
Towel. Bath. Border.

Quote
kj
Again, not saying they aren't charging too much, but if we're going to require data, let's be good consumers of that data.

The claim was "cut [in] the supply and risk [of] shortages"

That requires data of SOME kind at least.

Quote
Diana

Quote
JoeH
There is an incredible amount of markup in insulin pricing for the US. Relative works at the FDA and has some insight into production costs, generally under $50 a vial, often under $25. I have to buy insulin for my cat, with the only applicable GoodRx coupon that vial costs about $300. If it was prescribed by a doctor for a human instead of a vet, there are coupons to reduce the price to about $200. Even at that price the pharmacy and manufacturer are making a good profit off the vial.

I hear you. I had a cat that turned diabetic in his older years, and $300 for the vial was the going price 4-5 years ago.

Funny though I could have purchased insulin at the current price of $176 for 25mg powdered … from yeast … not medical grade (research grade) human … 98% purity … at 27.5 units/mg … 25 mg … comes to 3.9 units per dollar, or nearly 26 cents per unit. As everyone takes different amounts based on body weight, a common expression to compare would be on a per unit basis. How many units are in that vial, JoeH?

True, if I made it as a solution it wouldn’t be sterile; the company I looked up has to make a profit; that doesn’t include injecting; and of course, it isn’t FDA approved for patient use.

If you are asking if I found the cheapest place, uhhhh no. That price was what I found at Sigma Aldrich, not known for the cheapest compounds. And that was the smallest quantity they listed which will be the most expensive, as larger quantities are discounted.

Meets USP testing specs? $178 for 50 mg, powder.
As you go up in your requirements it tends to get more expensive. Pharmaceutical grade, reference standard, $467/100mg
Insulin glargine, $475/15.27mg (long acting insulin). Also pharmaceutical primary standard.

Primary standard is the cleanest purest form you can get. “Sales restrictions may apply.”

A vial is 10 mL, 100 units per mL. My cat was prescribed one of the insulin glargine varieties, at the pharmacy they are not interchangeable as the production methods for one brand is not the same as for another brand. It is affordable for me as he is only requiring 2 units twice a day and the vial can last 6 months per the vet's instructions. Humans are told to discard after a month.

But at 1000 units, the production costs for that vial being well under the retail or discounted price tracks with the numbers you see.

[www.pharmacychecker.com]

...a 2018 study found that active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) prices for various forms of insulin were the following:

$24,750 per kilogram of real human insulin

$68,757 per kilogram of insulin glargine

$100,000 per kilogram of insulin analogues

API price cannot reflect market prices. However, the same study concluded that, based on API costs, insulin analogues should cost at or below U.S. $133 per year while real human insulin should cost at or below $72 per year. With annual insulin costs pushing $6,000 per year, U.S. insulin prices are indeed inflated...

Insulin is expensive because three companies carry 96% of the insulin market. Three is not enough companies to drive price competition, especially when your product is a matter of life and death. To boot, the U.S. government found that the three companies that carry the market share have illegally boosted drug prices — alongside pharmacy benefit managers — to drive profit.

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Quote
Sam3
I'm kind of surprised that Romney voted against it. He seems to always want to position himself as the moderate Republican.

Mitt Romney is a Pirate Vulture Capitalist who made his fortune stripping companies and retirement funds of assets. As such he's never met a price cap he'd approve of.

It's not Romney's turn to be the almost-reasonable Republican today.

Hard to feel sorry for the most profitable industry in the country.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Quote
Mr645
At least were getting 87,000 new IRS agents to go after the rich folks that sell over $600 of used furniture or tools during the year.

Higher taxes, greater spending, the corrupt democratic way

Conservatives really don't like the idea of increased audits, do they?

Aren't they also fond of saying, "If you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about" too?