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Every 23 seconds, another American is diagnosed with diabetes. This skyrocketing incidence became even more apparent amid the Covid-19 pandemic, as those with diabetes experienced high rates of severe illness and mortality, in ways scientists still dont fully understand. In 2021, diabetes-related deaths jumped by 15% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The financial consequences are equally staggering. One estimate calculates the total economic effect of diabetes and prediabetes at $400B+ annually.

And yet, there is no coordinated strategy to address this growing crisis.

The current insulin pricing discussion is proof of our piecemeal approach. Those with type 1 diabetes (~5% of the total diabetes population) need it to survive, while many with type 2 rely on insulin to manage their blood sugar. Tragically, one in four Americans with diabetes report rationing this life-saving drug because they cannot afford it.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle are rightfully eager to make insulin more affordable. The House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation that would cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month and take other steps to ensure affordable access. Senators Shaheen and Collins have just introduced a bipartisan companion, and we hope that Congress will find an agreement to send to the President in the coming months.

That said, the system is critically ill, and making insulin more affordable is a bit like putting a band-aid over a bullet wound. Policymakers should simultaneously support diabetes reversal treatments that help patients normalize blood sugar levels while reducing or eliminating the need for insulin.

This might seem antithetical to standard metabolic disease care. Typically, diabetes is treated as a chronic, progressive illness that requires increasing levels of medications to stave off complications.

But the status quo is shifting. There are new, evidence-based treatments proven to reverse the progression of diabetes and prediabetes, empowering patients to achieve remission and ditch their insulin and other diabetes medications. Just last year, an international consensus report from medical and scientific experts defined diabetes remission criteria and acknowledged diabetes reversalthe process of restoring blood sugar to normal levels without medicationsfor the first time.

So, how can the American healthcare system support patients who wish to put their condition in remission? We recommend these steps:

Critically, improving population-level diabetes treatment and prevention offers an enormous opportunity to address the disproportionate burden of diabetes on underserved and minority populations. With health equity taking center stage, implementing a strategic plan to combat diabetes would create concrete measures for success.

In closing, capping patient insulin prices will not affect the unsustainable trajectory of the type 2 diabetes epidemic in America. Ironically, it may even result in a cost shift, where gross prices and premiums change to recover the lost revenue.

Until resources are dedicated to broadening access to treatments that help reverse diabetes, we will continue to fight a losing battle. It is time to shift the conversation, incentives, and policy solutions to help people improve their health and get off of medicationsnot just make them cheaper.

Photo: Maksim Luzgin, Getty Images

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Lowering insulin prices isn't the (only) answer to helping patients with diabetes - MedCity News