Reflections of a Diabetic Activist: The Struggle for Affordable Insulin and Healthcare
TL/DR –
The author, Lily Gordon, has been a diabetic for 19 years and has been involved in numerous fundraising campaigns and advocate efforts for diabetes. She expresses concern over the perversion of purpose in non-profit organizations tied to diabetes and the high costs that come with managing the disease, including insulin and other necessary supplies. Gordon argues that while affordability programs are a step in the right direction, they are not enough and calls for better healthcare and easier access to necessary treatments for diabetics.
Diabetic Activist Calls for More Accessible and Affordable Insulin
Having lived with diabetes for 19 years, I’m involved in various nonprofits and activism circles, striving to raise awareness and funds for research. Despite the sense of unity and purpose this brings, it’s evident there’s still a profound struggle for those lacking access to crucial insulin treatment.
My concerns solidified when the nonprofit Breakthrough T1D rang the opening bell at Nasdaq. Why was a nonprofit organization engaged in an activity so closely linked to profit?
Insulin was first isolated for human use by Sir Frederick Banting and Charles H. Best in 1921. They sold the patent for just one Canadian dollar, intending to prevent profit-making from a life-saving drug. Despite their altruistic efforts, Eli Lilly and other insulin manufacturers engage in monopoly practices and price-gouging, leaving many diabetics struggling with the financial burden of their life-saving medication.
While recent price caps on insulin and affordability programs are advancements, they aren’t the complete solution. The cost of managing diabetes goes far beyond insulin. Products like pumps and pens, glucagon, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems are also crucial, and they come with their own hefty price tags.
As we advocate for affordable healthcare, we must remember that diabetes is a chronic, lifelong illness. Affordability needs to extend beyond insulin to the range of products necessary for managing the condition. Until the necessary treatments for a diabetic person are easy to obtain, we are merely surviving, not living.
Eli Lilly, the insulin manufacturer, and other pharmaceutical companies need to prioritize patients over profits. While insulin price caps are a win, we need to ensure that the affordability of all diabetic treatments is addressed. After all, survival hinges on more than just affordable insulin. It’s time we transitioned from surviving to living.
The affordability of medicine should never be an abstract discussion. It’s about life and death. Every individual forced to ration insulin due to cost is someone put at risk unnecessarily. The achievement of any president or political party in implementing a price cap is irrelevant so long as one person is at risk of life-altering or life-ending consequences due to the lack of access to healthcare.
Insulin does not belong to any company, it belongs to the world. The delay in providing affordable healthcare to the people of this country is not only a blight on Sir Frederick Banting and Charles H. Best’s legacy but is also actively costing people their lives. For their honor and for the safety of people with diabetes, we must do better.
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