“I was sick and you looked after me…”
—Matthew 25:35-37
The Bible instructs us to care for those who are sick and in need anytime we get the chance.
Unfortunately, Senate Republicans ignored this instruction and removed a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that would cap insulin prices at $35 for private insurance patients and dramatically help improve the lives of the millions of Americans living with diabetes. This provision would have helped 1-in-5 patients who currently pay more than $35 for their insulin.
Insulin is a life-saving, but very expensive drug that 7 million Americans rely on daily to survive. The medication can cost them up to almost half of their income after housing and food. 12 percent of the Black community has diabetes and Black adults are 60 percent more likely to develop diabetes than white adults.
How A Few Senate Republicans Removed the Insulin Price Cap
Democrat Rapheal Warnock (GA) added the proposal to cap the price of insulin, a cause he has championed in the Senate. But Republican senators used a senate parliamentary rule to remove the proposal from the Inflation Reduction Act that just passed through the Senate.
All 50 Democrats were joined by 7 Republicans who voted to keep the price cap, but it was not enough to overcome the 60 votes needed to keep the provision in the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Republicans who voted no have not offered concrete reasons for their votes, other than that Senate rules prohibit the amendment in this type of reconciliation bill. Budget Reconciliation is a senate procedure which allows certain spending bills to pass with 50, rather than 60, votes in the senate.
However, if just 10 Republicans had voted yes, it would have been allowed to keep the price cap in the Inflation Reduction Act.
No Explanation on Why Some Senators Voted Against the Price Cap
So far, they have yet to offer more explanations on why they voted against the price cap.
As Christians, we strongly encourage our elected officials to deeply consider the impact an insulin price cap could have had for diabetics across the United States, especially in the Black community.
Next time this provision comes to a vote, we urge everyone to vote in favor of this price cap that will dramatically transform the lives of Americans living with diabetes.
“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” -3 John 1:2