Senator Bernie Sanders to Join Insulin Caravan

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Senator Bernie Sanders Insulin Caravan

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will join an “insulin caravan” later this month, accompanying people with type 1 diabetes seeking cheaper insulin in Canada.

According to reports, the trip is scheduled to leave from Detroit on July 28, two days before the next set of Democratic presidential primary debates. Health care has been a central focus of Sanders’ career, with a “Medicare for All” single-payer system one of the cornerstones of his candidacy.

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The price of insulin has tripled between 2002 and 2013, according to the American Diabetes Association. Sanders attributes the discrepancy in the cost of the medicine between the United States and Canada to the difference between the health-care systems in the two countries. “Canada has a nationalized, single-payer system that allows them to negotiate much better prices with the drug companies,” he said in an interview with CNN. “In our country it is a much different story… Congress needs to do something about this and when I am president we will lower the cost of prescription drugs.”

The rising cost of insulin has been in the spotlight recently, with insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) testifying on Capitol Hill regarding their pricing practices and efforts being made to reduce or cap the price of the medicine.

(Image: Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com)

Want to learn more about insulin costs and saving money on insulin? Read “Insulin Manufacturers’, PBMs’ Testimony Regarding Insulin Prices,” “Sanofi Offering Insulin at $99 Per Month,” “Half-Price Humalog Insulin Now Available” and “Cigna, Express Scripts to Cap Insulin Costs at $25 Monthly.”

Diane Fennell

Diane Fennell

Senior Digital Editor for DiabetesSelfManagement.com, Fennell has 16 years’ experience specializing in diabetes and related health conditions. Based in New York City, she has a degree from Columbia University.

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