A bipartisan group of senators released a bill Wednesday that would limit the monthly cost of insulin for those with private health insurance to $35 or 25% of list price. The pricing mirrors a benefit provided to Medicare beneficiaries in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
The Improving Needed Safeguards for Users of Lifesaving Insulin Now (INSULIN) Act was introduced by Republican Sens. Susan Collins and John Kennedy and Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Raphael Warnock. The bill would require private insurers to waive deductibles and force pharmacy benefit managers to pass through 100% of any discounts from manufacturers. It would also establish a pilot program in 10 states to provide $35 monthly insulin to people without health insurance. If the bill becomes law, the new rules would take effect in 2027.
"The cost of insulin is getting more expensive year after year, forcing one in five Americans with diabetes to ration their insulin," Shaheen said in a statement. "That is completely unacceptable, and it's particularly galling at a time when costs for Americans-including health care prices-are going up across the board."
The American Diabetes Association said it endorses the bill. "Unfortunately, insulin remains unaffordable for almost 30 percent of individuals according to an October 2025 national survey by the American Diabetes Association," a group spokesperson said. "Too many individuals have to choose between paying for life-saving insulin or paying for other life necessities like rent or food."