The spike in the price of insulin has been puzzling to many as these prices have skyrocketed in the last couple of years. 

The American Diabetes Association says drug companies tripled the price of insulin between 2002 and 2013. Republican state senator Burt Jones has introduced a bill called The Diabetes Drug Transparency Act. This bill would cap the price of insulin at $150, this would also make drug companies report their cost to produce insulin, the cost of advertising and marketing insulin, their annual profit from insulin, an explanation for price increases and the amount of financial assistance they give to patients who may need it. This bill could be groundbreaking for diabetics and the diabetic community.

At The University of North Georgia, there are many clubs for students to join. The College Diabetes Network club is a student organizational club on the Dahlonega Campus. This club is a lifetime membership club and a nonprofit student-run club that gives support to college students facing, and dealing with having diabetes.

Alexis Ball, a freshman studying criminal justice at UNG, spoke about her feelings on this new bill proposal, “I would feel happy that I’m only spending $150 for five vials of Insulin, right now for a pack of 10 I’m spending roughly above not anywhere from $900 to $1,500, and knowing that I can get that amount of insulin for that amount would make me feel at ease and excited that I wouldn’t have to rush in my insulin just to be able to live.”

Although insulin is natural, those who lack it are charged an extreme amount for the synthetic version just to be able to survive. If this bill were to pass, UNG students like Alexis would feel at ease in terms of their medical status and money stresses.