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December 27, 2019 - 12:07am | By Chris Larson
Yesterday, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) met with members of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to hear their stories. He was presented with Gold Insulin Vials to raise awareness for the rising cost of this life-saving drug by JDRF 2019 North Dakota Delegate for Children's Congress Danika Johnson and several young people with diabetes who rely on insulin.
“For these young people and many others, insulin is not an option; it is a necessity,” said Senator Cramer. “Thank you to them and their families for sharing their stories and for discussing the progress we’ve made together. I encourage them to stay involved with similar groups and continue working on this important issue.”
The Gold Vial Project is a social media campaign which uses gold vials to highlight the rising cost of insulin. They use the slogan, "insulin is worth its weight in gold, but should not cost as much."
As the JDRF North Dakota 2019 Children’s Congress Delegate, Danika traveled to Washington in July and met with Senator Cramer to discuss ways to ensure access to quality, affordable health care.
In the appropriations package passed last week, Congress included multiple bills led by Senator Cramer to address the high price of insulin, such as the “Protecting Access to Biosimilars Act” and the “Affordable Insulin Approvals Now Act.” Congress also provided $150 million for the Special Diabetes Program, which Senator Cramer offered his support for in June.
“Increasing the amount of generic and low-cost insulin in the market will decrease the burden placed on patients who rely on these drugs,” Senator Cramer said last week. “I am pleased to see our bipartisan bill included in this package, and I plan to keep working to find more ways to encourage competition and free market solutions to the rising cost of health care."
