US 'This Will Save Lives': California Answers Insulin Crisis With Plan to Make Its Own - "In California we know that people should not go into debt to receive lifesaving medication," Gov. Gavin Newsom said while announcing a new $100 million plan.

A patient shows her insulin kit. (Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)

Healthcare advocates on Thursday cheered an announcement that California will take on Big Pharma greed and the insulin affordability crisis by manufacturing its own low-cost version.

"In California we know that people should not go into debt to receive lifesaving medication," California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared during an afternoon address.

"On my first day in office, I signed an executive order to put California on the path toward creating our own prescription drugs," the Democrat said. "And now it's happening. California is going to make its own insulin."

"Nothing epitomizes market failure more than the cost of insulin. Many Americans experience out-of-pocket costs anywhere from $300 to $500 per month for this lifesaving drug," the governor continued. "California is now taking matters into our own hands. The budget I just signed sets aside $100 million so we can contract and make our own insulin at a cheaper price, close to at-cost, and make it available to all."

Advocates hailed Newsom's announcement.

"There's no doubt that this will save lives," Healdsburg Vice-Mayor Ariel Kelly tweeted.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia called the plan "a model for other states."

Indeed, news of California's plan reverberated across the nation, with progressive Minnesota congressional candidate Amane Badhasso tweeting: "This is great news for Californians. Americans pay more than [eight times] what people in most countries pay for insulin. It's how 4 out of 5 insulin users fall into debt! California is standing up for its people. It's time Washington stood up for all of us."

According to Newsom, $50 million will be allocated for the development of low-cost insulin, while another $50 million will be spent on a manufacturing facility in the state. Funding won't be a problem, as California boasts a record budget surplus of nearly $100 billion.

Three pharmaceutical corporations control the lucrative U.S. market for insulin, which often costs as much as $300 to $400 per vial without insurance. Rampant price gouging and the lack of prescription drug coverage have left 1 in 4 Californians who need insulin to treat their diabetes unable to afford it—sometimes with deadly consequences.

A study from researchers at Yale University published this week revealed that 1 in 7 U.S. insulin patients face "catastrophic" levels of spending on the medicine, meaning they spent at least 40% of their income after paying for housing and food on the drug.

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[Bland Crumbs]

I have little issue with the idea but the application is going to be a likely deadly fiasco. It also will not solve the problem it will just create a growing cost built into the government's operation.

It is really sad that things cost money but things cost money. You are not entitled to the labor of others and stealing their productivity is theft at best and slavery at worst.

I know it's off-topic, I am more interested in this statement.

Following that link, it seems like California is bound by law to spend 50 billion of that surplus on education. Knowing Democrat politics, that could only mean 50 billion dollars potentially on premature sexual education to children.

Going back to the topic, it is a government boondoggle to try and solve a market problem. I just wonder if there's going to be accountability this time, but I doubt it.

Yeah the reporting of their surplus excludes a lot of debt payments, service expenses, pensions owed, etc. There may be a surplus of some amount but it is not the amount they self-report. Given the amount of population loss and increasing spending on brilliance like gas rebates(due in October because lol that is when mail-in-ballots go out) is going to strip it clean and California will hit a fucking wall.

 

[Daddy's Little Kitten]

What is that game were Gus Fring was a Cuban dictactor and they were making the cure for cancer and he told Americans to get fucked while every one else got the medicine?

 

[bebopsingh]

Remember when Trump made insulin cheap and then Joe Biden reversed that? lol Good Times.

Only nazis and right wing trumpers kkk supremacists want cheap and affordable insulin, Biden combated this racism by bringing the price back up, you should be thankful in the name of social justice.

 

[BelUwUga]

You guys are too optimistic. They'll give it to Americans first, but it'll kill them or some shit.

Fuck if nobody has put their money down on HIV-contamination somehow, I'll claim it. I don't know how, but California is plagued with it and they always find ways to surprise me with their stunning incompetence/malice.

 

[JosephStalin]

If the CA insulin effort is run like the CA DMV or the CA bullet train, good fucking luck. The shit will be far more expensive than the regular insulin and may not work, at best. At worst, it may injure or kill users.

 

[northstar747]

the people talking about corruption are correct normally what happens is this.

Business: we dont want to do X there isnt any/enough money in it.

Government: Guess we could just do that our self for ether at cost or at a loss!

Business: REE REE REE WE CANT COMPETE THATS SOCAILISM *spends barrels of money to stop the program*

Examples AZ used to make antivenom and just give it away, Governor shut down the program and boom some poor assholes gets the anitvenom from mexico and is charged 10K per dose.

Another example

https://moneywise.com/life/lifestyle/fort-knox-secrets#:~:text=During%20the%20Cold%20War%2C%20the,stuff%20into%20morphine%20in%201993.

Fort Knox has tons of morphine, its a strategic reserve because back in the 1950s opium came from turkey, but now we have other sources for opium. So why not sell off the Morphine stock pile? Because that would hurt big phrama that pay alot of money to the political class to not do that shit.

I can see big pharma throwing there money around to stop the State owned insulin factory.

And maybe the best example that kiwis can relate to

Public high speed internet the telecos do not want to spend the money to run fiber everywhere and when you get underserved communities deciding to just have municipal fiber the telecos throw a fucking shit fit that the local goverment will do at cost what they dont want to do in the first place.

Also reminder trump allowed the re importation of insulin from canada that does have price controls and biden stopped it first day in office.

 

[The Final Troondown]

literally all you need to do is ban insulin for like 30 years and the genetic grift that is type one diabetes grinds to a halt

'hurrrr we gon' give these defectives expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give ...

 

[No Batty Boys in Jamaica]

literally all you need to do is ban insulin for like 30 years and the genetic grift that is type one diabetes grinds to a halt

'hurrrr we gon' give these defectives expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give ...

it’s going to happen with peanut allergies as well. Eventually peanuts will be like a poison to all humans.

The Virgin Type 1 diabetes vs the Chad Type 2.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Are you faggots seriously shitting on a state trying to make itself self-sufficient in crucial medicine? Grow up

 

[TracdacianTortoise]

literally all you need to do is ban insulin for like 30 years and the genetic grift that is type one diabetes grinds to a halt

'hurrrr we gon' give these defectives expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give expensive insulin so they can live long enough to pass on their insulin deficient genetic condition to their kids who we can give ...

Type 1 Diabetes has been around for a long time, and was a particularly horrible affliction to be born with. You died very slowly, and very painfully, after years without issue. The ancient Egyptians new about it, and the Chinese have a surprising amount of historical literature on the disease, so just leaving everyone with Type 1 diabetes to die wouldn’t actually get rid of it, particularly given it can be caused by other shit, it’s not fully a genetic thing, it just increases the risk factor.