Washington Sets $100 Cap On Insulin Copayments

OLYMPIA, WA — Starting Jan. 1, insulin copayments have been capped at $100 per month in Washington state, thanks to a new law that has just gone into effect.

That law, House Bill 2662, passed the state legislature in March, and was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee in April.

As The Seattle Times Reports, it creates a $100 copay cap which applies to all health care plans issued or renewed this year. The cap lasts through 2022. By then, lawmakers hope to have established a more long-term solution to cut health care costs.

Diabetes can be a risk factor for COVID-19 complications and, as the Associated Press reports, roughly 686,000 Washingtonians have diabetes. Of those, 226,300 need insulin to live.

Washington is just the seventh state to cap copays on insulin, joining Colorado, Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Utah and West Virginia.

At the time of the bill's passage, the proposal was lauded by the American Diabetes Association.

"Americans with diabetes are facing unprecedented health and financial challenges as COVID-19 continues to spread," said LaShawn McIver, the ADA's senior vice president of Government Affairs & Advocacy. "The high cost of insulin can have devastating consequences, often forcing those living with diabetes to make hard choices that can lead to devastating health complications."

Previous studies have found that up to 25 percent of diabetes patients ration their insulin, either to save on costs or because it's too difficult to reliably obtain. As the ADA notes, patients who are forced to ration insulin can suffer a variety of serious complications, and even die in severe cases.

"Affording insulin is by far the number one challenge my patients with diabetes face," said Irl B. Hirsch, MD and former chair of the ADA's Professional Practice Committee. We are fortunate to be living in a forward-thinking state that has made this issue a priority. Now more than ever finances are a major challenge, and anything we can do to reduce this stress will improve the lives of these Washingtonians."