4 ms·

Not sure about some of the numbers there. They say that a 3 month supply is $3700. Humalog without insurance costs $95 per 3 ml cartridge, let's say it's a $10

Not sure about some of the numbers there. They say that a 3 month supply is $3700. Humalog without insurance costs $95 per 3 ml cartridge, let's say it's a $100. This would mean that this child needs 37 cartridges for 3 months, or 12 cartridges per month, 3 per week. That's a pretty crazy amount of insulin. I'm a T1 diabetic, that doesn't eat particularly healthy, and I need 2-3 cartridges a month, almost an order of magnitude less than the person in the article. I don't think those numbers are right.

acdha 8y ago
> Humalog without insurance costs $95 per 3 ml cartridge, let's say it's a $100. You have a citation that it’s available from every provider in the country at that price? The person quoted specifically said they’d been quoted that much and I would assume that people aren’t making up reasons to go on 5 hour drives.
- tomca32 8y ago
  I don't. I have this link that lists a bunch of providers and their prices and I don't see anyone going over $100 per 3ml cartridge: https://www.goodrx.com/humalog?dosage=3ml-of-100-units-ml&form=vial&label_override=Humalog&quantity=1 https://www.goodrx.com/humalog?dosage=3ml-of-100-units-ml&fo... Of course, there might be a more expensive provider that I don't know of. I don't think that those people are making up reasons to go on 5 hour drives, but I do think it's quite likely that journalists fudged the numbers or just found some theoretical maximums and approximated the price from there. Just so it's a juicier story, of course.
  - acdha 8y ago
    It’s a direct statement from one person, not approximation. Either the journalist or the source has to be wrong for it to be incorrect. It’s possible but I’m assuming this is yet another example of the exhaustively documented broken economic model in American healthcare producing wide varaiation as everyone charges whatever they can get away with.
- sithlord 8y ago
  i have had several insurances and switched between sometimes having to pay upfront cost, for a 10/ml vial it is around 230. I know, for example, I need around 9 vials per 3 months. pretty expensive stuff. *edit, as I am on an insulin pump I only take fast-acting insulins. Lantus/Levemir other longer acting insulins usually are more expensive than the fast-acting stuff.
syn0byte 8y ago
They say her 3 month supply was $3700. Branding and "format" will affect the numbers. Pen? Vile? Pump? Humalog? Novalog? did the somewhat vague "3 month supply" include both short and long acting versions in the price tag? I don't doubt the numbers, but I do detect some omission/simplification to make it seem extra stark.
- rfinney 8y ago
  Key phrase from the article is "modern generation of insulin". A good overview of the design and effects of the new insulins are here : https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dme.13692 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dme.13692 ( "Lessons for modern insulin development" ).
  - tomca32 8y ago
    Still even with prices of modern insulins I'm not sure it makes much sense. Fiasp is an example of one of the most modern ones and still I can't find a price higher than $125 per 3ml: https://www.goodrx.com/fiasp?dosage=3ml-of-100-units-ml&form=flextouch-pen&label_override=Fiasp&quantity=1 https://www.goodrx.com/fiasp?dosage=3ml-of-100-units-ml&form...
- sithlord 8y ago
  rotated between novolog and humalog 10/ml vials quite a bit (insulin pump - don't use long acting) and they are priced identically.
RHSeeger 8y ago
Basing things on previous numbers for myself (my insulin has changed since then because the insurance gets to override my doctor and experience). Assuming - 50 units of Lantus per day -> 4.5 vials per 3 months @ 300/vial = 1,350 USD/month - 80 units of Apidra per day -> 7.2 vials per 3 months @ 300/vial = 2,160 USD/month total = 3,510 USD/month Now, to be fair, I'm older and have more insulin resistance than a younger diabetic would. Either way, the numbers without insurance add up real quick.
joeconway 8y ago
I think your numbers here are either out of date or not consistent for some reason. I got a batch of Humalog yesterday which claims 'retail price $1416.59' for 10 100 unit pens.

acdha 8y ago

> Humalog without insurance costs $95 per 3 ml cartridge, let's say it's a $100. You have a citation that it’s available from every provider in the country at that price? The person quoted specifically said they’d been quoted that much and I would assume that people aren’t making up reasons to go on 5 hour drives.

tomca32 8y ago
I don't. I have this link that lists a bunch of providers and their prices and I don't see anyone going over $100 per 3ml cartridge: https://www.goodrx.com/humalog?dosage=3ml-of-100-units-ml&form=vial&label_override=Humalog&quantity=1 https://www.goodrx.com/humalog?dosage=3ml-of-100-units-ml&fo... Of course, there might be a more expensive provider that I don't know of. I don't think that those people are making up reasons to go on 5 hour drives, but I do think it's quite likely that journalists fudged the numbers or just found some theoretical maximums and approximated the price from there. Just so it's a juicier story, of course.
- acdha 8y ago
  It’s a direct statement from one person, not approximation. Either the journalist or the source has to be wrong for it to be incorrect. It’s possible but I’m assuming this is yet another example of the exhaustively documented broken economic model in American healthcare producing wide varaiation as everyone charges whatever they can get away with.
sithlord 8y ago
i have had several insurances and switched between sometimes having to pay upfront cost, for a 10/ml vial it is around 230. I know, for example, I need around 9 vials per 3 months. pretty expensive stuff. *edit, as I am on an insulin pump I only take fast-acting insulins. Lantus/Levemir other longer acting insulins usually are more expensive than the fast-acting stuff.

syn0byte 8y ago

They say her 3 month supply was $3700. Branding and "format" will affect the numbers. Pen? Vile? Pump? Humalog? Novalog? did the somewhat vague "3 month supply" include both short and long acting versions in the price tag? I don't doubt the numbers, but I do detect some omission/simplification to make it seem extra stark.

rfinney 8y ago
Key phrase from the article is "modern generation of insulin". A good overview of the design and effects of the new insulins are here : https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dme.13692 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dme.13692 ( "Lessons for modern insulin development" ).
- tomca32 8y ago
  Still even with prices of modern insulins I'm not sure it makes much sense. Fiasp is an example of one of the most modern ones and still I can't find a price higher than $125 per 3ml: https://www.goodrx.com/fiasp?dosage=3ml-of-100-units-ml&form=flextouch-pen&label_override=Fiasp&quantity=1 https://www.goodrx.com/fiasp?dosage=3ml-of-100-units-ml&form...
sithlord 8y ago
rotated between novolog and humalog 10/ml vials quite a bit (insulin pump - don't use long acting) and they are priced identically.

RHSeeger 8y ago

Basing things on previous numbers for myself (my insulin has changed since then because the insurance gets to override my doctor and experience). Assuming - 50 units of Lantus per day -> 4.5 vials per 3 months @ 300/vial = 1,350 USD/month - 80 units of Apidra per day -> 7.2 vials per 3 months @ 300/vial = 2,160 USD/month total = 3,510 USD/month Now, to be fair, I'm older and have more insulin resistance than a younger diabetic would. Either way, the numbers without insurance add up real quick.

joeconway 8y ago

I think your numbers here are either out of date or not consistent for some reason. I got a batch of Humalog yesterday which claims 'retail price $1416.59' for 10 100 unit pens.