Out-of-Pocket Insulin Spending by Privately Insured Patients with Diabetes

Concerns have been expressed about increasing out-of-pocket spending for insulin. In two recent studies, researchers assessed out-of-pocket costs for insulin and diabetes-related supplies among U.S. patients with private health insurance.

In one study, researchers determined insulin reimbursement prices and out-of-pocket costs for 2006 through 2017. Analyses of >600,000 patient records and 10 million insulin claims showed that the median 30-day refill reimbursement price for insulin increased from US$143 in 2006 to $394 in 2017; however, the mean out-of-pocket cost per 30-day insulin refill remained roughly $40 between 2006 and 2017.

In the other study, researchers estimated annual out-of-pocket spending for insulin and diabetes-related suppl…