Hacker News Reader

Comment by ksaun | Hacker News Reader

I do agree with the statement that some of the language around the lack of insulin availability is misleading, but it's not just that it's more convenient. "Fancy" insulin allows one to better manage blood glucose levels. Poorly managed blood glucose strains various organs/systems in the body and over years and decades leads to various health complications, some resulting in death. (It's still a lot of work and stress -- modern insulin isn't an automatic improvement; but it does allow greater success in managing diabetes.)

(My comments here are in the context of type 1 diabetes. The (potential) positive health impact of modern insulin may be less pronounced for other diabetics.)

View on HN

I dont mean to be dismissive or elitist. There is enough wrong with the medical system, that if somebody loses coverage and needs to see a doctor to get their prescription changed, that change alone becomes insurmountable, behavioral change not included.

My rub is that the conversation is dishonest. Saying "access to insulin is a right" and then changing the topic to modern delivery methods and such. Call a spade a spade, and have the direct honest conversation the first time. My pertubement goes beyond this topic into social justice/political correctness and just about anything. I may believe in the cause and the result, but be dismissive of how to get there by cheating and hacking peoples attention spans. It seems the only way to be an activist and get attention is to start with a lie, and now everybody is competing for the most inflammatory headline.

Everything you said is the conversation everybody should be having, instead of truncating it to "insulin is way too expensive."

I think a big problem is that short acting insulin, which was available 25 years ago, used to cost $9usd / 10 mL bottle now costs ~$80 with insurance (in california) or $200+ list price for an effectively equivalent short acting insulin. (numbers were from my insurance statements which include the cost for current prices, and from a family member who was on the pharma board at one of the large managed health facilities in california in the 90s.

To me, that cost inflation is purely artificial and not driven by any new tech relating to the insulin itself.

For T1 diabetics, the cost increases have been moving to insulin pumps which have infusion set costs in addition to the actual pump, and for continuous glucose sensors.

Are you sure about this? 25 years ago, rapid insulin would have still been under patent.

Is anybody buying short acting anymore? At those prices? Rapid onset is $72.88.

https://www.walmart.com/cp/3769564

That's basically a 4.4x increase, after inflation to jump from short to rapid. Not saying its justified. Why pay $200 list for something that is less than $80.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com