How is it even possible to afford $800 for insulin? It boggles the mind
Insulin
Submitted 4 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/216fcb24-3a25-42f9-aaa4-c2d9699530bd.png
Comments
canofcam@lemmy.world 4 months ago
jupiter_jazz@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
Credit cards
minkymunkey_7_7@lemmy.world 4 months ago
MissJinx@lemmy.world 4 months ago
It is widely available, just not in the US
SystemL@literature.cafe 4 months ago
yeah. insulin isn’t that expensive for me.
800$? Not even close.
Holy exaggeration.
ronigami@lemmy.world 4 months ago
do people just not have credit cards?
CauchysBoh@lemmy.world 4 months ago
ah yes they should pay for the 7th most expensive liquid on Earth, which they will die without, just so they can be sure to pay for interest on top of the original cost. Are you an idiot or just plain evil?
ronigami@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I’m a person who knows cost benefit analysis. When death is on the table, who chooses death over paying some interest?
Amir@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
???
OxiZero@feddit.uk 4 months ago
This is the most evil comment I’ve seen in a very long time. The thought of someone burdening themselves with high interest debt. Debt that they don’t have the money to pay back. because if they don’t, they’ll die. That’s sickening.
Unless of course you think it’s a serious solution. Then it’s just plain ignorant. Clinical idiocy levels of stupid.
ronigami@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I would 1000% sooner take out high interest debt than die. What kind of question is this?
BreadOven@lemmy.world 4 months ago
'Murica, fuck yeahhhh!
AlexLost@lemmy.world 4 months ago
In Canada it is still considered expensive, but not even close to $800/month. It’s only considered expensive because most shit like that is free or a very nominal fee, but repeated need is what it is.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
Sold the patent for $1, that’s so Canadian.
AlexLost@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Wait until you find out how much the guy that invented the I ternet sold it for.
ProbablyBaysean@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
If a transaction occurs for no consideration e.g. a gift, then there is always a chance for a progenitor to sue and claim rights as the transaction “never happened”. This happens when a company acquires another and tries to strip benefits, so the company fires and rehires all employees so that is the consideration. I have personally reviewed hundreds of land sales for 10$ in Texas so there is legally binding consideration exchanged. Functionally it is a legally bulletproof gift.
oftenawake@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
Please support the Open Insulin Foundation who are creating an open source model for insulin production! Such an important project!
gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 4 months ago
this feels a bit like open software, just that the software involved is genetic code, which codes for a protein.
oftenawake@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
It is! They’re trying to “compile” insulin on the smaller scale. Not home labs but local production. They haven’t managed it yet but I believe they will eventually.
minorkeys@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Capitalism is economic terrorism.
DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Technically a funnel system for 1%.
quoll@lemmy.sdf.org 4 months ago
yeah. but more importantly your fucked up excuse for democracy is fucked.
plenty of capitalist countries that don’t have this problem.
minorkeys@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Which ones?
Woht24@lemmy.world 4 months ago
It’s almost like someone should go and shoot the CEO dead in the street
reksas@sopuli.xyz 4 months ago
ceos are like head slaves on plantation. While they are pieces of collaborating shits, they are not the root of this rot.
Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 4 months ago
One could argue that patents and copyright are anti-capitalist
InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 4 months ago
And no capitalist would want to get rid of them.
Malfeasant@lemmy.world 4 months ago
They are, actually. The point of patents and copyright is not to protect the creator- that’s a temporary effect. The point is to release the thing to the public afterwards. The problem is that capitalism corrupts the process and finds ways to make the temporary effects permanent. Disney has succeeded in making copyright last effectively forever.
NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 4 months ago
In that case "real capitalism" doesn't exist, because patents have been a thing since checks notes 1474.
Doomsider@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Copyrights and patents generate enormous amounts of wealth from rent seeking. This wealth has been used to continue to entrench these draconian concepts into our legal and governmental systems.
Even worse they have been used to stop the spread of information and monopolize development thus slowing slow down technological advancement. So many people have died so these clowns can make a buck.
One could argue that artificial scarcity is a farce, but unless you have more money than the people who benefit from IP, your voice will not be heard on a policy level.
Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 4 months ago
They are literally monopolies on whatever they concern.
peetabix@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 4 months ago
Lots of missing data in there, but gotta love Turkey's $2.56.
NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Devial@discuss.online 4 months ago
If he wanted it to be freely available, why did he even sell the patent ? Just disclaim at the patent office. Selling is just asking the new holder to start enforcing.
squaresinger@lemmy.world 4 months ago
They sold the patent to the University of Toronto, so they didn’t exactly sell it to a for-profit patent troll.
But also, that was in 1923, so the patent has long since expired.
buddascrayon@lemmy.world 4 months ago
They also don’t make insulin the way that he did back then. Not justifying the price hike cause the way its made now is way cheaper that it was with the old method (which was basically grinding up animal parts to extract insulin). These fucks are just profiting off of the suffering of Americans who have literally no choice but to use their drug.
Devial@discuss.online 4 months ago
I mean, that’s better than selling to a private person, still feels weird, since disclaiming a patent is absolutely possible, and has a 100% chance of leading to the desired outcome, vs whatever small chance there may be that the University starts taking profits on it. Or even just sees themselves forced to sell the patent, because of potential financial issues.
Yeah, the risk is small, but eliminating it in it’s entirety would’ve been easily possible, so it just feels a bit weird he didn’t do it.
ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
Is there any reason a diabetic has to get the newer patented formulas instead of the old one that the pic talks about which is regularly sold for around $25 a vial in the US without insurance?
I know the new stuff works faster and you don’t have to worry about your diet as much so I’m sure it’s much easier, but why would you have to die instead of just managing your diet and using the $25 stuff for a month in this emergency situation?
Don’t get me wrong all medicine should be free and stuff but like, why die instead of switching to the cheap stuff and dietary management for a month?
zeppo@lemmy.world 4 months ago
The old formulas you can buy OTC for $25 are more inconvenient to use, but will indeed keep you from dying. The main difference between the R insulin and Novolog/Humalog are how quickly they act. Novolog starts lowering your glucose in about 60 minutes while the R takes 2 hours. Dietary management is not related to which insulin you’re using. So yes, the claim that OOP’s only alternative to paying $800 was to die is not true.
SpikesOtherDog@ani.social 4 months ago
Insulin is not permanently shelf stable, and will still expire in the fridge.
Diabetics usually start with a long-acting insulin to keep blood sugar from naturally rising plus a fast-acting insulin for corrections and to compensate for food.
The old style of just giving 2 long-acting shots of mixed insulin is mostly obsolete, except for legacy patients, some pregnant patients, and other special cases I can only theorize.
A good number of diabetics only use fast acting insulin in a pump, receiving microdoses every minute.
To switch brands of insulin, much less therapies in any circumstance requires a doctor’s visit.
With all that said, the insurance company will often replace a medication in the event of an accident, typically only once a year.
Without that, a patient might be able to find a charity they will assist them.
You also may be able to travel to the next state over where the cost of insulin is regulated.
Failing all other options, it is better to check yourself in to the hospital as your sugar begins to rise and tell them that you cannot control your blood sugar.
zeppo@lemmy.world 4 months ago
The subs would be R and NPH, not the old mixed formulas like 70/30.
nickiwest@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I don’t think I ever had insurance in the US where checking into the hospital for any amount of time would cost less than $800 out of pocket.
ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
Ah well that’s good, at least there appears to be some options.
I’ve heard of clandestine labs making patented insulin and selling it cheap too, and I’m all for a good grey market.
hamid@crazypeople.online 4 months ago
People respond wildly differently to different types of insulin and it isn’t just a matter of switching and watching your diet. Too much and too little insulin can be deadly and it makes you feel like absolute shit.
ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
Ah, so you’d need to know your dosage for that type beforehand, and if you didn’t know it you can’t just wing it. Still though, might be beneficial to know that for emergencies like this because it sounds preferable to certain death.
There should be a little chart your doc gives you at diagnosis (or something, spitballing here) that lays out the dosages you’d need for X, Y, and Z brands so that if say you use X and they’re out (or your kid freezes it or something) you can just consult the dosage chart and get Y for now.
AsoFiafia@lemmy.zip 4 months ago
The drug I have to take to live costs anywhere from $4,000-$5,500/month without insurance. This is actually cheaper than what I was on before—a cocktail of 4 drugs, some taken multiple times a day, that was almost $10,000/month. I’m lucky(?) that there are a ton of programs that together cover the cost for me. Unfortunately there are hoops I have to jump through every month to continue qualifying for the assistance and have to regularly take time off from work to make the appointments. I’ve lost jobs due to this, but am currently working a position where my manager is happy enough with my work to fudge time cards to help me out.
I hate this country.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
oh, it gets better. Baby born with Spinal and Muscle Atrophy? There is a cure! $2,500,000!
They hold lotteries for doses, a few babies win, most babies die.
AsoFiafia@lemmy.zip 4 months ago
Jesus, that’s terrible! I somehow hate this country even more now.
Digit@lemmy.wtf 4 months ago
Welcome to USA, I guess.
In other countries, you could probably completely fill a fridge with insulin for $800.
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 4 months ago
If you need a lot of different prescribed drugs then £114.50/year to cover every prescription you have is an option here. Otherwise £9.90 each.
b0ber@lemmy.world 4 months ago
There’s no business in curing diseases. The whole pharma is mostly a “subscription” model.
elbiter@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Yeah, just dismantle the state and give it to private companies… What could go wrong?
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 4 months ago
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
1/5th less just by driving to Canada.
pressanykeynow@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Is it free in grey countries?
MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 4 months ago
Either that, or maybe they don’t have diabetes there. (Lol joking)
itisileclerk@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I can confirm, as a insured I am paying $0.00 for Insulin in Macedonia. Now I am receiving 6 Novo Nordisk Tresiba pens per month. How much is that in US?
NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I couldn’t find the answer easily myself and ended up asking AI, so take this with a significant grain of salt, but supposedly a 3mL pen would be around $145 without insurance.
Horse@lemmygrad.ml 4 months ago
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
Invented by a Canadian, exploited by an American.
Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
Were I am, you just get Insulin for free with a prescription from you Family Doctor, because we have a National Health Service.
Even without said prescription, it’s only €70.
Americans are being thoroughly screwed, and it’s very much on purpose thanks to the way laws and regulations were designed (and at the risk attractict the crowd throwing “bothsideism” slogans around to defend “their” “tribe”, this is due to the actions of both US major parties) since in a real Free Market, Insuline over there should cost around the same as it cost over here without a prescription, not 10x more.
ZkhqrD5o@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I genuinely think that in some third world countries, as part of the middle class, you can have a better life than in the USA.
pressanykeynow@lemmy.world 4 months ago
It’s also much harder to become a middle class in those countries.
NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 4 months ago
Not really. Poverty rates are higher, yes, but many middle income third world countries do have sizeable and growing middle classes. They're called developing countries for a reason. The image of war-torn African countries where everyone works in mines isn't really representative.
MoonMelon@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
Something I’ve noticed is when untraveled people in the USA try to contextualize themselves with other countries they pick the worst examples they can think of. Favelas in Brazil or slums in South Africa for example. We do this to the point where our entire conception of countries (or in the case of Africa, continents) is the worst imagery we can think of. I think they genuinely don’t believe that, for all their troubles India, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, etc also have smartphones and big buildings and libraries and universities and laboratories, and educated people living decent lives.
They also can’t see how the overcrowded jails full of pretrial prisoners, the barefoot children carrying buckets for water in Appalachia, the rundown schools full of illiterate kids, the impunity of rich private interests, the corrupt sheriffs and judges, and on and on, puts us in the company of the “third world countries”. Yes we have nice places too, but SO DO THEY. A broken society in the 21st century isn’t people living in mud huts, it’s children shitting in the street next to a glass skyscraper with LEED Platinum certification.
SinAdjetivos@lemmy.world 4 months ago
And it’s not just “overcrowded jails full of pretrial prisoners, the barefoot children carrying buckets for water in Appalachia” but the grad students in LA living out of their cars, or grandpa sleeping on a bus stop, or people in the Rockies surviving off roadkill and forage.
Seattle tent cities/tiny homes make some Favelas look real swanky.
Zerush@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
Logically, it’s not about how much money you make, it’s about purchasing power. It is irrelevant if you earn only $400 a month when you can eat well for $1 and pay $100 for your housing, you have free health care and education.
Reginald_T_Biter@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Third world doesn’t mean poor, it just means not aligned with US or Russia
ebolapie@lemmy.world 4 months ago
There’s a reason countries like Vietnam are so popular with digital nomads.
WALLACE@feddit.uk 4 months ago
My dream would be to get a remote nightshift job and live on a house by the beaches of south Thailand
vivalapivo@lemmy.today 4 months ago
Something in american.
It’s 10¢ in developed countries like Georgia
Scrollone@feddit.it 4 months ago
And let’s be clear, we’re talking about the European OG Georgia, not the US state.
dandylion@lemmy.today 4 months ago
Isn’t that where Palin saw the Russians?
vivalapivo@lemmy.today 4 months ago
Russians with insulin, friend
Formfiller@lemmy.world 4 months ago
volvoxvsmarla@sopuli.xyz 4 months ago
Making an AI meme of Luigi as a Saint is one thing.
Making a painting and having it casually displayed in your room is a whole other level.
Also, I can’t believe it’s already been a year.
Formfiller@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Yea I guess but my mom was destroyed by our cruel and heartless system. She’s gone now but painting this helped me reconnect with the glimmer of hope we all felt for a moment after this happened
Petter1@discuss.tchncs.de 4 months ago
It is not a solution, but maybe an alternative to death…
Zerush@lemmy.ml 4 months ago
US Healthcare = pay or die
bonenode@piefed.social 4 months ago
Why can’t Americans mail order it from Canada? Is the US going to tax the crap out of it when it crosses the border?
phoenixz@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
If you talk about killing the few people like these that are the root cause of all these problems, you’re a terrorist. You go to jail
These people actually kill people by the thousands, millions, and we call them smart CEO’s and celebrate them 🥂
dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 4 months ago
I’m not diabetic and the situation with insulin fills me with a white hot rage.
Zacryon@feddit.org 4 months ago
Naive question from a european: Aren’t there companies on the market who can offer a cheaper price and therefore beat greedy competitors?
lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com 4 months ago
:::spoiler Needs text alternative. Images of text break much that text alternatives do not. Losses due to image of text lacking alternative such as link:
- usability
- we can’t quote the text without pointless bullshit like retyping it or OCR
- text search is unavailable
- the system can’t
- reflow text to varied screen sizes
- vary presentation (size, contrast)
- vary modality (audio, braille)
- accessibility
- lacks semantic structure (tags for titles, heading levels, sections, paragraphs, lists, emphasis, code, links, accessibility features, etc)
- some users can’t read this due to lack of alt text
- users can’t adapt the text for dyslexia or vision impairments
- systems can’t read the text to them or send it to braille devices
- web connectivity
- we have to do failure-prone bullshit to find the original source
- we can’t explore wider context of the original message
- authenticity: we don’t know the image hasn’t been tampered
- searchability: the “text” isn’t indexable by search engine in a meaningful way
- fault tolerance: no text fallback if
- image breaks
- image host is geoblocked due to insane regulations.
Contrary to age & humble appearance, text is an advanced technology that provides all these capabilities absent from images. ::: Did they try looking for discounts from patient assistance programs from the manufacturer? They’ll reduce the cost $35.
Manufacturers try to shakedown insurance companies for obscene pay without affecting the amount individuals pay, so they offer those programs directly to individuals. Not saying this good, just how the system works.
- usability
Wynnstan@lemmy.world 4 months ago
For Australian diabetes patients the insulin Fiasp is $31.60 on the PBS, but Americans pay $930, while the medication Jardiance is $619 to $698 in the US compared to again $31.60 for the 220,000 Australians who access it. (I’m on Jardiance)
ivanafterall@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Damn, the Jardiance in America must be some strong shit!