The price of insulin is killing Americans
- 5 years ago
In the past five years, the price of insulin in the US has nearly doubled. Diabetics who do not have medical coverage or insurance have to pay around $1000 every month for the life-saving drug. Many resort to rationing their insulin intake, sometimes with tragic consequences…
“Dear daughter, I am happy to have shared with you 22 years of your life. I am sad that time has come to an end so soon. No more needles, no more stressing over your health.”Antroinette Worsham’s eyes fill with tears as she reads a tribute she wrote to her daughter.Antavia died two years ago. She was a Type 1 diabetic and depended on daily doses of insulin to live. But she could no longer afford to pay for the life-saving hormone once she aged out of her juvenile medical assistance programme at 21.Antavia was working two jobs but her pay and limited insurance were not enough to cover the cost of the insulin and other crucial supplies, like test strips. She was paying between $1,200 and $1,300 dollars for a 90-day supply of insulin. At times she got insulin from her sister Antanique, who also has Type 1 diabetes, at other times from her grandfather. But finally, she had to start the dangerous practice of rationing.Antavia died on April 26, 2017, from diabetic ketoacidosis. She was 22.“My son called me at about 11 o'clock and he said, 'Mommy, Antavia’s not moving.' I said shake her, wake her up, wake her up. Not one time did I think my child was deceased. I didn’t walk over to the house, I just sat on the curb waiting for them to bring her out on the stretcher. But instead I saw her come out in a black bag.”The first thing you see when you walk into Antroinette’s apartment in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a shrine to her daughter: photographs of Antavia in her prom dress, with ... Go on reading on our web site.
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“Dear daughter, I am happy to have shared with you 22 years of your life. I am sad that time has come to an end so soon. No more needles, no more stressing over your health.”Antroinette Worsham’s eyes fill with tears as she reads a tribute she wrote to her daughter.Antavia died two years ago. She was a Type 1 diabetic and depended on daily doses of insulin to live. But she could no longer afford to pay for the life-saving hormone once she aged out of her juvenile medical assistance programme at 21.Antavia was working two jobs but her pay and limited insurance were not enough to cover the cost of the insulin and other crucial supplies, like test strips. She was paying between $1,200 and $1,300 dollars for a 90-day supply of insulin. At times she got insulin from her sister Antanique, who also has Type 1 diabetes, at other times from her grandfather. But finally, she had to start the dangerous practice of rationing.Antavia died on April 26, 2017, from diabetic ketoacidosis. She was 22.“My son called me at about 11 o'clock and he said, 'Mommy, Antavia’s not moving.' I said shake her, wake her up, wake her up. Not one time did I think my child was deceased. I didn’t walk over to the house, I just sat on the curb waiting for them to bring her out on the stretcher. But instead I saw her come out in a black bag.”The first thing you see when you walk into Antroinette’s apartment in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a shrine to her daughter: photographs of Antavia in her prom dress, with ... Go on reading on our web site.
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