At the end of March, after the House passed a bill that would cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month for insured consumers, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., tweeted about why he voted against the legislation.
“Insulin price increases have more to do with increased consumer demand than the bad behavior of Big Pharma, which I am quick to condemn,” Gaetz wrote.
He continued, in a 10-part Twitter thread, to offer weight loss as a potential solution to insulin costs rather than capping prices: “90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, which ‘can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active.’ Arbitrary price controls are no substitute for individual weight control. Since 2000, the number of diabetes cases in the U.S. has nearly doubled. The demand for insulin has increased and the requisite price increase has followed suit. In other words, the price of insulin increases as waistlines increase.”
