House to vote Thursday on bill to cap cost of insulin

The House is expected to vote Thursday on legislation aimed at capping the price of insulin, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced.

Hoyer told reporters on Wednesday that it’s “inexcusable” people are being charged exorbitant prices for “a life-saving and life-sustaining drug whose costs [have] not increased and whose research costs have been amortized a very long period of time ago.”

House Democrats passed legislation in November as part of their Build Back Better package that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate lower prices for certain prescription drugs. But since that package remains stalled due to opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Democrats are turning to more narrow measures that can pass both chambers.

The bill set for a House vote would cap consumers’ out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 per month. The measure is authored by three House Democrats facing competitive reelection races this fall: Reps. Angie Craig (Minn.), Dan Kildee (Mich.) and Lucy McBath (Ga.).

Across the Capitol, there are bipartisan discussions underway for a bill to lower the cost of insulin that could come up for a Senate vote in the coming weeks.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H) said Tuesday that she has an “agreement in principle” with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on legislation to drive down insulin costs that’s broader than a bill from Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) that would cap the price at $35.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said last week that the two measures could be paired.

“There’s now a bipartisan effort underway led by Sen. Collins and Sen. Shaheen to pair the $35 cap sponsored by Sen. Warnock with additional policies to drive down the list price in a more comprehensive way, including having the uninsured protected,” Schumer said.

It’s not yet clear if the House bill will gain bipartisan support on Thursday. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) told The Hill on Tuesday that he is opposed to what he described as “government price fixing.” 

Peter Sullivan contributed.