Kilili: Lower insulin costs starting Jan. 1

Good news for people in the CNMI with diabetes, according to Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D-MP).

Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, patients in the Marianas will have access to Eli Lilly’s Insulin Savings Card Program, which automatically caps insulin out-of-pocket costs at $35 per month for those with commercial insurance.

Sablan said in his e-kilili newsletter over the weekend that patients who don’t have insurance can immediately download the Lilly Insulin Value Savings card to receive Lilly insulin for $35 per month.

Up until now, these programs have been limited to the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

At the urging of Sablan, these programs will now be extended to all U.S. territories.

The delegate said this move is expected to provide critical relief to people with diabetes who can face annual costs of more than $1,000 for the insulin they need to live.

“Today’s announcement builds on my work in Congress to close gaps in the U.S. healthcare system for the territories and reaffirms President [Joe] Biden’s call for insulin costs to be capped for everyone, regardless of insurance status,” Sablan said.

The CNMI has reportedly been found to have the largest number of cases of diabetes after Prima Indians and Nauru. Based on 2002 statistics, there are 3,019 known diabetes patients in the CNMI—mostly Chamorros, Carolinians, and Pacific islanders.

In 2008, the Department of Public Health reported that it is estimated that about 30% or one third of the population of the CNMI have above normal levels of sugar in their blood.

The Diabetes Prevention and Control Program has been conducting activities and ways how to combat diabetes.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan