Democratic group launches 7-figure campaign highlighting efforts to cap insulin costs

The Democratic group House Majority Forward is launching a seven-figure digital and mail campaign in 17 congressional districts  on Thursday highlighting efforts to cap insulin costs, The Hill has learned exclusively.

The buy lauds House Democratic lawmakers’ work to cap insulin prices at $35 a month and calls on the Senate to pass the Affordable Insulin Now Act.

The group is running the ad buy in a number of highly contested districts, the majority of which are on the National Republican Congressional Committee’s target list. The Democratic lawmakers that are being touted in the buy are Reps. Josh Harder (Calif.), Katie Porter (Calif.), Mike Levin (Calif.), Sanford Bishop (Ga.), Cindy Axne (Iowa), Jared Golden (Maine), Andy Kim (N.J.), Tom Malinowski (N.J.), Dina Titus (Nev.), Susie Lee (Nev.), Steven Horsford (Nev.), Joyce Beatty (Ohio), Shontel Brown (Ohio), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Susan Wild (Pa.), Susan Wild (Pa.) and Joaquin Castro (Texas.).

In March, the House passed the Affordable Insulin Now Act along a mostly party-line vote, 232-193. In addition to Medicare beneficiaries not having to pay more than $35 for each 30-day insulin prescription, cost sharing for beneficiaries in private plans would be limited to the lesser of either $35 or 25 percent of the health plan’s negotiated price for a 30-day prescription.

Capping insulin prices was originally a part of President Biden’s sweeping Build Back Better legislation, but the plan was stalled after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) signaled he would not support the broader legislation.

The failure of Democrats to pass the Build Back Better bill in the Senate posed a major dilemma for Biden and Democrats down the ballot. Democrats, who are facing headwinds going into the midterms, could stand to benefit from a major legislative achievement.

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), who is facing a contentious reelection bid himself, pressed Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to hold a vote on the bill.

“I am deeply disappointed the Senate was not able to vote on this critical legislation before Memorial Day,” Warnock wrote in a letter to Schumer dated Monday. “The time is now to finally act on this critical issue, and we can’t afford to wait any longer.”