Posted on 08/05/2019 8:53:48 PM PDT by ransomnote
After aging out of his family health insurance and switching to a cheaper over-the-counter insulin sold at Walmart, a young man with type 1 diabetes has died.
Josh Wilkerson was 27 when he died this past June, The Independent reported Monday. When he turned 26 and became too old to remain on his stepfather’s health insurance, his other option was health insurance provided by his workplace, a dog kennel in Virginia. But that plan didn’t cover his $1,200 per month insulin costs. So in late 2018 he began using the ReliOn brand insulin sold over the counter at Walmart, which costs $25 a vial.
This type of insulin is not the same kind Wilkerson had been using before. ReliOn is called “human insulin” because it is manufactured using the DNA code for making human insulin and grown inside bacteria cells. Before switching to ReliOn, Wilkerson was using analog insulin, a newer-generation insulin that is similar to human insulin but genetically altered to make it quicker-acting. Human insulin therefore lowers blood sugar levels much slower than analog insulin does — it can take hours to work while analog insulin works in minutes.
Immediately prior to his death, Wilkerson agreed to stay overnight at the dog kennel for a week to earn some extra money. During the second night, he told his fiancée, Rose Walters (who also has type 1 diabetes and had been taking ReliOn), over the phone that his stomach didn’t feel well, but he would take more insulin. MORE AT LINK
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
He made 16.50 an hour. His grandfather died from diabetes I.
I agree. Having been on several different immunosuppressives of both brand and the generics of those brands, sometimes the generics were not as effective. When I was in high school, generic cyclosporine didn’t suppress my immune system enough, and I needed the brand Neoral. Rather than increase the dosage of the generic and the horrendous side effects, we opted to fight with the insurance company to cover it even though I hadn’t had a transplant. At the time it was $5000 monthly without coverage, and we got them to cover it, with a $199 copay. I was 17, and on stupid expensive drugs which caused the side-effects of chemo. Hair loss and all.
You never abruptly change meds without consulting your doctor. Ever. And “over the counter” drugs even more so, because quality control just isn’t the same in my experience, and brand ingredients vary.
Most of my medications are generics and do their job just fine, but sometimes the formulation is just different enough to not be compatible with my body.
During the second night, he told his fiancée, Rose Walters (who also has type 1 diabetes and had been taking ReliOn), over the phone that his stomach didn’t feel well, but he would take more insulin...
Sounds like we may have the makings for the next epidemic for the media to create and the givernment to regulate and ration....
” During the second night, he told his fiancée, Rose Walters (who also has type 1 diabetes and had been taking ReliOn), over the phone that his stomach didn’t feel well, but he would take more insulin”
Sounds like he may have O.D.’ed
Trump wants us to be able to buy drugs from Canada, but not insulin. Why???
I’m sorry, but if you need a drug that costs $1,200 per month, you better figure out how to get a better-paying job than working in a dog kennel. Move to another state if you have to. Or cut your spending.
Too few people these days are willing to figure out solutions to their own problems. They want the nanny state to save them.
I bet that guy had a cell phone, and a car, and lived in a place with a TV, a refrigerator and air conditioner. What did his grocery cart look like? I’ll bet it didn’t include whole chicken, big bags of potatoes or dried pinto beans.
Good question. I doubt there is any good answer.
Pffft!!!
Haven’t you heard: He’s a racist...
Everyone knows that but you?
Actually both of you are right.
There is no way to know why he died or if the different insulin had anything to do with it from information given.
Poor guys dead. You sound cold. Probably dreaded his birthday coming. He was working, engaged, suffering from a life long condition. It’s not like he was a deadbeat drug addict.
If he wanted the nanny state to save him, he would have moved to NY or CA.t
Well his blood sugar level was over 1600. He suffered several strokes and was in a vegetative state.
They list Lantus at $540/vial. I just checked GoodRx, which is a free discount card, and Lantus is $199/vial. That’s without any mfg. discount or insurance.
Still a ridiculous price, but not nearly what they’re saying.
More than likely he started using insulin for animals from the Vet clinic..
“Well his blood sugar level was over 1600. He suffered several strokes and was in a vegetative state.”
My point still holds.
Perhaps even moreso.
Hundreds of dollars a month? You better check with your carrier if you're paying anywhere close to that.
Why didn’t Obamacare cover this young man?
________
Maybe because he wasn’t an illegal alien.
So then, it wasn’t the insulin, it was his misuse of it. I’m a retired RN, and I’ve never heard any patient report that different brands of insulin make any difference. Of course, the TYPE matters -—slow, intermediate, or fast acting, but that’s not brand specific. Type 1’s have it rough, since EVERYTHING affects the blood sugar, and they have to take insulin, based on diet, activity, even mood, since those things affect insulin needs. It’s up and down, minute by minute.
This is a greatly simplified description of drug pricing...but essentially true for most patent medications to ensure that the costs of development are recovered and that the company makes a profit. The root of this problem is how the cost of the brand name insulin is calculated: Pharmaceutical companies set the prices of drugs in the U.S. based on making a predetermined profit margin for the company. That margin makes up for the fact that prices in almost all OTHER developed countries are regulated...resulting in zero profit or even at a loss for sales in those countries. The result: The USA public underwrites the cost of medications for the world.
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