August 28, 2020 Josee Farmer, Former Health
Care Policy Intern
The Health Care Cost Institute estimates that
the average insulin user requires 62 units per day. This estimate includes 22
basal units, which are long or ultra-long acting; 36 mealtime units, which are
rapid or short acting; as well as 4 units of combination insulin. The chart
below depicts the total annual cost of insulin for a patient facing a typical dosage
requirement. From 2014 to 2015, the average amount spent on basal units
increased substantially – largely attributed to the introduction of
ultra-long-acting insulin to the market in 2015. By 2018, the average annual
cost for a typical insulin user surpassed $5,600 in the Medicare Part D market.
The same trend can be seen in the Medicaid and
employer-sponsored insurance markets, as well.
Data
obtained from CMS Medicare
Part D Drug Spending Dashboard
No comments:
Post a Comment