My Story: The Insulin Crisis
I’m very shaken right now. The amount of shit I had to go through to get that small vial of insulin above was terrifying and humiliating. I want to start out by saying that I consider myself to be “well off” in millennial terms. I live with 2 cats in a one bedroom apartment and recently got my dream job in my field making salary. That being said, I have a lot of bills, obligations, and responsibilities that take my money from me constantly. One of those responsibilities is called Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1. I have had this disease since I was 2 years old and I have never known life without it. I was lucky enough to have parents that supported me and allowed me to be on their insurance plan so that I could afford insulin at about $25. When I turned the magic age and was dropped off the family insurance and got insurance through my job, it was not as good, so the price of insulin raised a bit to about $60 for a 3 month supply. Still manageable. Through some choices I made (my parents would call them irresponsible actions) I was no longer eligible for my company’s insurance and was dropped. I then got insurance through Obamacare, and insulin copays again dropped to $25! But Obamacare was expensive and I couldn’t make the payments and I was dropped from insurance. However, I get insurance again through my new job, which was setup today (even though I was hired 3 weeks ago). This brings me to my crisis.
I have just come back from a family vacation, my insulin pump tells me I have about 10 units to my name before I run out. I go to the fridge to get my next vial, I have none. Panic. I have no insurance until July 1. I have about $150 in my bank account until Friday. I will run out of insulin overnight, be in DKA (Diabetic Keto Acidosis) by morning, and either be dead or in a $11,500 hospital stay by midday tomorrow. I have about 3 hours before the pharmacies close so I get to work.
GoodRx is an amazing company and so helpful for many people, but sadly not me. I look up Humalog and get a result for Walgreens that has it for $68. Awesome, I can deal with that. I transfer my prescription from CVS and zoom over there. When I get there I ask for Humalog and show them the coupon. They run it through and say that it will be $320. Apparently they have to give me 2 vials because that is what my script says. The coupon I have is for the generic Lispro not name brand Humalog and I don’t have a prescription for Lispro, I have Humalog. They say I need to call my doctor to get a prescription yada yada yada... Except the doctor’s office is closed and I talk to an answering service. Now I worked for an answering service so I have no qualms, when they couldn’t help, I understood and thanked them for being there. I ask Walgreens what to do, what they suggest. They tell me about Walmart’s amazing prices for insulin. I have heard the rumors, so I give it a shot.
I give Walmart a call from Walgreens, they say they have it for about $121 with the GoodRx coupon. I’m hesitant because thats almost all my money for a few days but hey it’s either that or my life so ok. Here’s where things get scary. They are going through the paperwork steps, getting my script transferred, setting up an account at Walmart, etc. I give them the coupon and they start the process for transfer and will get back to me with the price. I wait impatiently as they waste valuable minutes doing this. They finally tell me that one vial is $294 with the coupon. I almost cry as I realize I have 15 minutes before all pharmacies close.
I remember the news story about Walmart having $25 insulin thats available over the counter and ask about it. They pull out the Humulin. The pharmacist does not recommend it as this is not what I was prescribed. I try to explain that this is an emergency and that it will have to do at this point. He offers me three different kinds, Humulin R, Humulin N, and Humulin 70/30. Its been a while since I’ve had to take the different types since I use an insulin pump. I ask about the differences to make sure I have the right one (theres no returns). The pharmacist has a language barrier and is not answering my question. He keeps repeating that he does not recommend it and that I wasn’t prescribed it and its not the same, there will be complications, etc. I am trying to stay calm in this stressful situation but he is making it difficult. He starts telling me that I can call my doctor and he can fill the Humalog for tomorrow and that I should wait. This completely infuriates me and I tell him “I will be dead by tomorrow if I don’t have this right now.” I am in tears at this point. I purchase the insulin and go cry in my car outside of Walmart until I am calm enough to drive.
I don’t know if this insulin will work, but it’s all i have. My anxiety acts up and even now I am thinking about the different situations I might’ve ended up in tonight. I thought about asking my boyfriend or parents for the money, but the lecture would be worse than anything my own body would do to me. I thought about mooching off my diabetic friend, “can i use like 100 units of your stash?” I even thought about sucking that pharmacist's dick for insulin like some sort of drug addict. But im not an addict, im just trying to LIVE.
I realized what this crisis is doing to other people and children who live with this disease. I’m lucky that all I fear is a lecture ive receive over and over again. But for some, what I went through tonight would have been certain death. Insulin should not cost $600 for 1 vial. Its sickening to think people live in pain because they can’t afford something they need to live. Insulin is not optional for us! I am angry, I am furious at these companies for putting anyone in the situation i was in tonight. Contemplating their own death and thinking how much longer they can put off buying a simple life saving drug?? Its outrageous!
This was a wake up call for me, I hope it is for anyone that reads it. Please feel free to add your story or links to where anyone can speak up about the insulin price crisis. Much appreciated.
