Even with insurance the price of insulin is outrageous!  Imagine being on the other side of the fence with no insurance.  It’s a sad reality for many. Having a chronic condition that is dependent on insulin is hard enough.  It’s frustrating to know that it only costs between $2- and $6 to make a vial of insulin.  It should not be marked up to $275 a vial!!!  That is criminal in my opinion when people are rationing and dying while the makers compensate themselves with millions.  Be angry with me and let’s stop this!  Text and email this petition to everyone you know and insist they sign it with us.  Thank you!  

Do you have a T1D story you want to share? Priorities Wisconsin is calling on you!

Recently, the team reached out to me, and I had a chance to talk to Bridget and Cassidy who work for Priorities Wisconsin. They are looking for Wisconsinites to interview who are personally struggling, or who have a loved one who is struggling to afford insulin or other medication they need in order to stay healthy.

“We think the best way to hold those in power accountable for their actions (or inaction) is to share the real stories of the people that their work is hurting or helping,” Priorities Wisconsin says. “We also want people to know that they’re not alone in the struggles they’re facing. If we all speak up and make our voices heard, we can make a real difference.”

Priorities Wisconsin is a Wisconsin-based advocacy group that is part of the larger national group, Priorities USA. The group focuses on storytelling to “get ahead of the current economy.”

“We know access to affordable, quality healthcare is a struggle that many folks are facing right now,” they say.

Priorities Wisconsin says you can become involved at any level of commitment, whether you choose to be interviewed for a short story format video, want to write a letter, or want to make your voice heard in another way. Bridget and Cassidy are open to ideas and discussion regarding this very personal issue. They can provide more insight and details into this if you decide to reach out to them via email (listed below).

Here is an example of some of their most recent work.

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I know that putting yourself out there, especially for an issue so personal and close to home can be scary. I do it for this campaign often, so I truly understand. If this sounds like an opportunity you’d like to take advantage of to help progress this bill forward and bring more awareness to it, please reach out to them at Wisconsin@priorities.org. 

If not, that is totally okay and understandable. You can share this link with someone you might be interested, and/or keep sharing the petition link! Any form of awareness you bring to this issue is extremely valuable and appreciated.

Thanks for all you do. I am grateful for your advocacy, support, persistence, patience, and passion for affordable access to insulin this holiday season.

May yours be as merry and bright as possible! And may your’s and/or your loved one’s T1D management be prosperous.

Always, Julia.

Senator Richard Briggs has graciously agreed to sponsor the bill to cap insulin costs at $100 in the Senate with State Rep Jason Hodges carrying the bill in the House. For more information on Senator Briggs visit: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Senate/members/s7.html

Hello, everyone,

I wanted to take the time this morning upon returning home from California to update you about what’s been happening with the proposed insulin price cap legislation in the state of Wisconsin. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, it is still stuck in the committee on insurance. While it can feel disheartening to see this lack of progress and movement, I encourage you to keep up your hard work, high spirits, and advocacy! 

I have said it before, and I will echo again to you now, that those of us managing T1D or love someone with it, know best that the highs never stay high, and the lows never low, change is inevitable – and we can make positive change happen for the state of Wisconsin. 

This week, I had the pleasure of meeting with the team at Change.org, and connecting with other petition starters across the globe. The team at Change.org has a great plan to keep rallying more states to start their own insulin price cap petitions. We are stronger together! The more states we can get on board, the better. Then we can create a universal page and tackle insulin manufacturers as well, to see widespread reform.

There were many key takeaways throughout my experience working with the team this past week, but I wanted to share these words of inspiration from one of Change.org’s first ever petition starters and Change.org’s first victor, Luleki Sizwe. They said (to paraphrase), “Change takes persistence, passion, and patience. You need these P’s to make things happen!”

I couldn’t agree more. This may be a long journey ahead for the state of Wisconsin, but I really think we want to help each other and see these gaps in healthcare improve so that anyone struggling to manage a chronic condition like type 1 diabetes can live a little easier with it, whatever their socio-economic status. What is happening now is not safe for people’s health, in any sense of the word. People across the world have supported this campaign! This is a very relevant issue to so many, so I thank everyone who’s shared their story and has helped push it this far. Your comments are being seen – this, I’m sure of.

Please remember, whenever you feel discouraged, that it’s not the amount of signatures we have, but the quality of our advocacy and efforts. We are making waves, and we’ll keep doing this!

Personally, I continue to reach out to our representation to lend my voice, experience, and skills to provide more insight into the importance of this issue. I hope these pushes will get meetings and hearings done soon. I am also scouting different connections that could get us these meetings and hearings, so if you have any information to offer on that front, let me know.

While I agree that $100/mo. is not enough, it is a starting place, and I think it’s a starting place for us to begin to negotiate even lower costs and move towards nationwide healthcare reform! The light at the end of this often frustrating tunnel will appear so long as we keep moving towards it. Don’t give up! Cliche as the saying may be, there is a LOT of power in positive thinking, and none of us are in this alone…

If you have ideas about how to push this forward or other thoughts about what you’d like to see changed and how, please share in the comments. I am more than open to ideas to share with this group! I will keep you updated as I continue to work with Change.org on this front. They put me in touch with some great people this week, and I think it will benefit us! I am also in touch with Wisconsin Priorities to coordinate on this matter.

The kindness and care we show this community will be reflected in our advocacy. It stands to make a huge difference in the story of American Healthcare, come 2020, especially, for us, in the state of Wisconsin.

My hope, to this day, is that we can be another state, in addition to Colorado, who sets the bar and foundation to enable nationwide healthcare reform and see costs lower to the best places they can be.

More to come – keep T1D strong.

Julia

Please keep sharing via text, email, facebook, etc..  We are getting the signatures!  I want to see the change happen for everyone but I need all of you to keep getting this out there.  Thank you for your sharing of this petition and your support!  

We are getting the signatures slowly but surely.  Text out reminders to sign and keep sharing this.  Let’s make insulin affordable to all!