Last month, I wrote about how I decided to join my state’s chapter of #insulin4all because I’ve been upset about the high costs of insulin for awhile now, and I want to do anything I can to help make it more affordable…not just in Massachusetts but all across the U.S., and even in the world.

Our first meeting was introductory, but the second one focused on legislative action.

Truth be told, I wasn’t exactly stoked on this topic because, well, I don’t find law-making particularly interesting. I always imagine a bunch of stuffy middle-aged white men sitting in a room and arguing about section X of law Y and I’m sorry, but…yawn.

However, I was surprised by how much I took away from this meeting that recapped the current state of legislation and action for the MA chapter of #insulin4all. Here are my big takeaways:

• There’s a lot that one person can do in order to help make legislative change. It goes beyond contacting local legislators – an individual who offers their time, resources, and voice can do so much by learning the legislative process, attending hearing or floor sessions, testifying, and acting as a resource to legislators. As a person with diabetes, I have stories and knowledge to share that can help legislators really understand what a person with diabetes experiences and needs…and that in itself is a powerful tool.

• Attempts at change have been made…and tabled. One piece of legislation we talked about extensively during this meeting is Kevin’s Law, which is named for Kevin “Howdy” Houdeshell. He passed away in 2014 from rationing insulin, after he was unable to refill his prescription for insulin due to his prescription being expired and the unavailability of his doctor due to the New Year’s holiday. This law would allow for pharmacists to dispense a chronic maintenance drug such as insulin to a patient without a current prescription in limited circumstances. In Massachusetts, the bill was reported favorably by the senate committee last March, but tabled in July due to a variety of factors. On the bright side, a meeting has been scheduled with a recently elected representative who could help revitalize discussions of the bill, so we can be hopeful that change will be made.
• Public production of insulin is one way to make it more affordable. So this is pretty neat: California is the first state to establish public production of “biosimilars” that include insulin. This article that I’m linking to explains it best, but basically, this just means that the state of California is getting into the generic drug business to prevent price gouging and fight back against big pharma. But what’s really cool and exciting to me is that Massachusetts may be just as capable (in other words, have just as much market power as California) to produce generic insulin, too. MassBiologics is a non-profit, FDA-licensed manufacturer of vaccines that could also potentially produce insulin. Though I did a quick search and couldn’t find much on the matter, it’s a fascinating concept that could make insulin much more affordable in Massachusetts.

And those are just a few of the key points we covered in the meeting. I left the Zoom session feeling so much more informed as to how legislation works in the state of Massachusetts, and the steps that I can take to make changes not just as an individual, but as someone working with a motivated and knowledgeable group like the MA chapter of #insulin4all.