Trump claims his policies made insulin 'so cheap, it's like water.' But for most people, it costs ju

[douglas9]

WASHINGTON — Not only has he lowered drug prices, President Trump claimed in the first 15 minutes of Tuesday’s debate — but he has helped lower the price of insulin, specifically, so that it is so cheap that it’s “like water.”

In reality, insulin still retails for roughly $300 a vial. Most patients with diabetes need two to three vials per month, and some can require much more.

The early bluster from Trump on drug pricing is the latest sign that the president will campaign hard on his efforts to lower prescription drugs. In recent months, Trump has launched a digital ad onslaught that attempts to frame Joe Biden as the much-maligned drug industry’s preferred candidate. Trump brought up the issue in response to a question about his plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, which he has often touted in recent speeches but has almost no specifics.

The bravado seems to be working: A recent poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 46% of surveyed voters believed Trump had a better plan to lower drug prices. Only 42% favored Biden’s plan.

https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/29/trump-insulin-fact-check/

[TexasTowelie]

1. I've been injecting myself with that expensive water for nearly 20 years?

Nice to know that. I think that I'll switch to vodka instead--it's a lot cheaper and I can catch a buzz off it too.

[CaptYossarian]

2. Trump is right. I'm not paying anything for insulin for a year now.

It's because of my new pancreas and kidney last September 28th. Now we just have to keep our Medicare out of his doll-like hands.

[douglas9]

3. Trump Took Credit for Making Insulin "So Cheap It's Like Water." Tell That to People Paying for It.

There was a key moment that you might have missed in Tuesday’s presidential debate. It happened early on, before President Trump told a neofascist militia to “stand by,” invented an endorsement from an Oregon sheriff, and trampled on the memory of Joe Biden’s dead son. Trump, after being criticized by Biden for his ongoing efforts to blow up the Affordable Care Act, tried to change the subject by talking about all the work he’s doing to bring down the cost of prescription drugs.

“I’ll give you an example,” Trump said. “Insulin—it was destroying families, destroying people, the cost. I’m getting it for so cheap it’s like water, you want to know the truth. So cheap.”

So cheap it’s like water.

I did a double take when I heard this, because insulin is expensive as hell, and no, the president hasn’t fixed that. How expensive? “In reality, insulin still retails for roughly $300 a vial,” wrote Nicholas Florko at Stat News. “Most patients with diabetes need two to three vials per month, and some can require much more.”

When I sent a tweet about this, I was flooded with responses from people sharing their own stories of how much they pay for insulin and other diabetes medication, sometimes attaching literal receipts. People pay more just to stay alive than the president paid in taxes in 2017:

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/09/trump-took-credit-for-making-insulin-so-cheap-its-like-water-tell-that-to-people-paying-for-it/