SAINT PAUL – This evening, the Minnesota House DFL Majority will approve the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act. After the Republican-led Senate refused to include insulin affordability legislation in the final hours of the 2019 Legislative Session, House DFLers continued their efforts to provide affordable and emergency insulin to Minnesota’s diabetics, holding a series of town halls in communities across the state and bipartisan informational hearings during the legislative interim. This is a renewed version of Alec’s bill, updated through the events of the interim, advocate input, and bipartisan negotiations.
“By working alongside Minnesotans who struggle with high insulin costs every day, House DFLers have developed a solution that gives Minnesotans a mechanism to access insulin in an emergency situation and a solution to address long-term affordability of the drug,” said Rep. Jen Schultz (DFL – Duluth) “The Alec Smith Act is just one step in our broader commitment to address health care costs and ensure all Minnesotans can get the care they depend on.”
“People with diabetes shouldn’t need to wait any longer for solutions to the skyrocketing cost of insulin and the Legislature we’re passing on the House Floor tonight can be implemented immediately,” said Rep. Liz Olson (DFL – Duluth), the House Majority Whip. “As a result of Big Pharma’s greed, the lives of Minnesotans have been put in danger. The Alec Smith Act puts patients first and helps ensure they can access insulin, which is critical for life.”
The Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act creates a statewide insulin assistance program to help Minnesotans who struggle to afford the insulin they desperately need. Compromises in the updated bill include the state bearing the responsibility of the program’s set-up costs, but the House version still maintains that the bulk of the costs be paid by insulin manufacturers, the top three of which control over 90 percent of the market and recorded $80 billion in revenue in the last 12 months.
The Senate’s companion bill, SF 3164, has yet to receive a hearing.