The reasons for the drug's high cost are complicated, and they're not changing anytime soon. VICE News examines what would need to happen to lower the price of insulin in the U.S. WATCH NEXT: Rural America Is Having A Mental Health Crisis, This Farmer Is Fighting It - bit.ly/2Wcppf7
Shkrelli you ran up the flag pole for a drug that 75 people a year take and he gave away free to people who couldn't afford it. Big Pharma gouges the price on Insulin and "its complicated" smdh @vicenews
In the Netherlands it cost around €14,80 to get 1 pen of Novorapid 100E 3ml. That is in dollars about $16.60. I need about 4 pens per month. 4x €14,80/$16.60 = €59,20/$66,40. That would be yearly about €710,40/$796.80. But because we have universal healthcare and everybody has the "basic healthcare plan" by law I only need to pay €385,00/$431.51. It's called "own risk" health plan. Every person has to pay(by law) the maximum amount €385,00/$431.51. when making use of health care/getting prescription drugs. Everything more than that amount of €385,00/$431.51 in healthcare/prescription medicine (like insuline) will get paid by your insurance company. This is called "own risk". I hope America gets this one day. I feel bad for you guys...
Are you trying to make people yell 'Build that wall, build that wall!'? (Read: people = from other nations) Is this not driving up the prices in Mexico and Canada?
@Kindle Fire no one should profit off of something u need to live. And the person who invented the formula for insulin agrees 👍. U shouldn't be a life long customer by force. And it's impossible for people born with diseases to be responsible for them. As they are literally babies. I thought all lives matter? But abortion by disease? Republicans have a round about way of legally doing abortions
You people disgust me, go get a job so you can pay 400 a month for health insurance to not cover anything like the rest of us hard-working Americans...or you can giiit out!
When I was deployed, insulin in Afghanistan was about $2-10 depending on brand. Most American brands were cheap, they we were just renamed with a subsidiary for international sales. I was able to get a bunch for folks back home.
US Law back in the 90s environment Law says you can't use this ingredients........ So they make the same drug with new ingredient and patent it... then charge 1000%.. In south Korea used the same old ingredient from over 100 years ago...... no Patent.. Blame the pharmaceutical and the dumb ass US law makers... that got it banned.
@william terry Every other developed nation has healthcare provided by tax dollars. The US ranks below every single one of those nations. The free market system doesnt work, period. The insurance and pharma companies will jack prices up as high as possible because they know you won't put a price on your life. Most people will pay whatever they have to, to survive. They have all the leverage and the consumer has none. That's why in some industries, the free market doesn't work. Health care should not be for profit.
Carpe Diem when Kazakhstan is more advanced than America and America thinks they are land of the fu@king free. Insulin, all blood test monitoring, metformin, yellow sharps bins, free at point of purchase in the uk.
it's not free...govt takes the money for other people to pay for you, giving the illusion of "FREE"...congrats, you're enslaving all other countrymen...clap...clap...clap...
@@sleepnaught What does the free market have to do with that? FDA makes it hard for companies to sell insulin because they have the toughest rules for a safety agency. Medication costs a lot in the US because regulators let big pharma get away with it.
We can have both, the problem is incompetent leaders and politicians. You don’t have to sacrifice human rights in order to gain another human health right.
Insulin is free in the US as well if you earn under 50,000 dollars and your insurance does not cover it. (www.lillycares.com/aboutlillycares.aspx). Instead of complaining, look it up!!
@@ddomenike it's a "deal" the pharma companies made in exchange for unregulated prices. If you've EVER had to deal with these "free" drug programs, you'd know how difficult they make it for you. Giving some away for free doesn't excuse scalping the rest of the people. You're better off getting so sick you cant work. That's screwed up!
Costs me $100 for 10 vials. And I don't even have good insurance. Everyone is being horribly over dramatic. If you have a full time job in the United States, you can easily afford insulin. What needs to be changed is how ridiculously high deductibles are getting.
william terry oh look, yet another American who was brainwashed in grade school. America is not great nor has it ever been great, they put profit above people without a second thought
I used to work at a call center for a mail order pharmacy, definitely one of the worst jobs I've had. My first day on the phone while still in training a guy told me he was going to eat his shotgun if I couldn't send him free medicine. A girl next to me was brought to tears once because a woman wanted her full name to write in her suicide note blaming her.
Sounds likes you two spoke to a few assholes who don’t understand how the system works and are willing to blame a call-center employee for something they can’t conttol.
I haven't gotten that extreme, but I've come pretty close when talking to people for mail order pharmacies. Just understand that it's not personal. All the people who are actually to blame have made it so the only people we can talk to are people like you.
People get so desperate for there meds that they're contemplating suicide? That's nuts.. I pay 700 dollars a month for health insurance and a doctor's visit is 120 dollars with Kaiser lol.. I pay 700 dollars a month for insurance and can't afford to see a doctor.. It's nuts..a regular doctor's visits bills is close to 400 dollars..
@@xxmike112xx these companies understand that patients feel this way about their lack of treatment access. This is exactly why these call centers exist. They're willing to invest in employee's meager wages because they know that it means they'll continue being able to overcharge and profit off of our healthcare. They *do* understand how the system works. The system is designed to protect the wealthiest and most powerful individuals.
This is pretty sad. I was diagnosed in 77’ (43 years) with Type 1. I’ve used beef and pork zinc insulin crystals, Lantus, Humalog, Novolog and you name it. Disposable syringes, pens and pumps over the years and I’m still amazed at the cost of insulin and supplies. Ever since Genentech back in the late 70s used recombinant DNA technology to produce insulin, it would seem to me that the prices should drop. This technology (rDNA) is pretty mature, with incredible efficiencies in the Manufacturing compared to past processes. I’m currently using Humalog in a 670g Minimed pump. I currently use 1 10ml vial every 8 days or so. I calculated that I would pay nearly $1400 per month at cost without insurance. That’s just insulin and doesn’t include the material consumables. People wonder why I’m stressed at times. One thing for sure, people that have this condition and can’t afford insulin shouldn’t have to worry.
pharmaceutical companies are not the problem!!!! The insurance and PBM's are the major issue. PBM and Insurance companies have been feeding you miss information. If the pharma company is the issue how come its cheaper in Mexico?
I_TouchDown_There Win Its all of them the pharmaceutical companies, the PBM’s and the insurance companies they are taking advantage of us to get filthy rich
Jey M they are totally are making a ton of money. How come it’s cheaper to get meds over the mail that at a local pharmacy? Because insurance companies now own PBM’s 1. UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealth created OptumRx, its in-house PBM by combining existing pharmacy and care delivery services within the company in 2011. It also purchased CatamaranRx in 2015, which expanded its PBM capabilities. 2. Anthem. Anthem will launch an in-house PBM called IngenioRx. Initially expected to launch in 2020, the insurer said it will now expedite the roll out. In March, Anthem terminated its PBM agreement with Express Scripts. 3. Aetna. Aetna recently merged with CVS Health. As a result, Aetna now has access to CVS Caremark, the PBM of CVS Health. 4. Cigna. Cigna recently merged with Express Scripts, one of the top PBMs in the nation. It also had Cigna Pharmacy Management, a smaller in-house PBM. 5. Humana. Humana has its own in-house PBM called Humana Pharmacy Solutions. The insurance companies are the problem.
Pharma still make billions but they spend it on research and salaries. Insurance companies don’t they just get in the money and provide no new services.
Not really. This is what happens when you have inelastic demand. It doesn't matter what the pharmaceutical company charges for insulin, consumers have to pay because if they don't, they die. Capitalism breaks down at a fundamental level when the consumer cannot negotiate effectively with the supplier, as it has with medicine in the US.
In the UK insulin is free for type 1 diabetics because it’s a life saving medicine for a chronical illness. It’s crazy that in America people have to pay such high prices for medicine that is essential to stay alive
that god supposedly gave them the disease. What are you praying for? isn't it already all pre determined according to you delusional sky daddy believers?
My asthma medicine cost me 380 bucks with out insurance in the u.s. .. Ive been living in Paraguay for 2 years now. I was shocked the first time I went to buy my medicine and it was only 17 bucks.. The exact same thing ... We are really getting screwed in the u.s.
here in nepal, a nordisk insulin pen cost around 50-60 us dollar, and fill is around $15 per tube which last for 2 or 3 weeks depending how you use it. funnier parts is it cost around $ 1.5 per day(two chips) for sugar level check chip, that measures your level. i guess it around $70 dollar average per month
Louise’s question about the medication is a perfect example of how traveling, especially to our neighbors is essential for understanding not just them but our own system ... if all Americans traveled abroad I know we wouldn’t stand for the state of our current medical system
I sincerely hope that, from the bottom of my heart, that Americans will realise how bad their medical system is compared to the rest of the world, and take action to change it. In the UK, we have the NHS, and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 1, and have never paid a penny for insulin, needles, etc. I was shocked to hear that people were literally dying because they couldn't get insulin because it somehow had a pricetag... And it was 100s of dollars to top it all off! The insulin companies make over 90% profit from these products, and simply rely on their status of being a manufacturing oligopoly that makes a medicine that sustains millions of people's lives to steal your money! There's no way that two developed, first world countries should have such a massive difference in accessibility of any medicine that can kill people if not injected for a few days. It's sickening.
As a type 1 diabetic, not having insurance was more life-threatening than you think. I have had the luck to have a nice endocrinologist who understood and gave me samples, I was given 10 bottles, back then each bottle was about $50 out of pocket. I was so thankful. I am insured now, just glad those horrific days are over.
Well well well USA, so now you don't use the grainy film with sepia color tone when showing Mexico. In this specific case we are not the scary and suspicious neighbor, we are on full color and a hopeful place. Lol. Just kidding. Somewhat.
I can't believe how crazy the system is over there. In Australia, all citizens have access to public healthcare and subsidised prescription drugs. The companies are forbidden to directly market their brands to patients; they can only promote to qualified doctors and the doctors have the final say. People on low incomes get medicines for $6.50 each. Diabetes Australia also runs a scheme to supply other diabetic requirements at a subsidised cost. What the hell is wrong with you, America??
In Finland insulin is 100% free. Same with bloodsugar measurement used needles and those slides. 100% free, just go to doctor and they give box of em or pharmacy for free insulin pens.
In the Netherlands it cost around €14,80 to get 1 pen of Novorapid 100E 3ml. That is in dollars about $16.60. I need about 4 pens per month. 4x €14,80/$16.60 = €59,20/$66,40. That would be yearly about €710,40/$796.80. But because we have universal healthcare and everybody has the "basic healthcare plan" by law I only need to pay €385,00/$431.51. It's called "own risk" health plan. Every person has to pay(by law) the maximum amount €385,00/$431.51. when making use of health care/getting prescription drugs. Everything more than that amount of €385,00/$431.51 in healthcare/prescription medicine (like insuline) will get paid by your insurance company. This is called "own risk". I hope America gets this one day. I feel bad for you guys...
Bravo! I am flabbergasted at what diabetics have to go through. Great reporting. I was already aware of this, and deeply saddened. I'm not diabetic, prone to be, but just in case, I already live in Mexico, near Tijuana too. LOL
My dad paying 4$/month for government's public healthcare insurance , and he got a pen of insulin for his diabetes and some drug for his coronary problems, what a relief
my symbacort inhaler is $450 here w/o insurance ( I need it monthly) but in mexico its $50 with my copay its $100 I pay for insurance just to afford this but my insurance is $400/mo when I saw this the lightbulb came on
I was 7 years old when I was diagnosed with diabetes . I am now 65 . I remember my mother complaining about paying $25 for a case of insulin and to think what we are paying now .
To all my American friends - Stay healthy by exercising and eating healthy. Don't smoke and don't drink too much. If you become diabetic, consider moving to Canada or Mexico.
Canada does not have a universal drug plan by any means, unless over 65. If you get a supplemental insurance plan it may cover some costs, but not all. If you are on a group plan at a job, that may cover things. If you are self employed, good luck. I have a bottom of the barrel health insurance plan, the best I can get, I sure have looked at all options, and I have a whopping $250 a year drug coverage on that plan. That would last less than 2 weeks of my meds. I am very lucky my endocrinologist supplies me for free with insulin. I am very resistant and go through a lot of it, around 120 units per meal, so one pen lasts me just over a day. I'd be paying several hundred a month if she didn't supply me with it. Yes, it costs a lot less here in Canada than the US, but it's by no means free or near it. People ask me all the time why I don't move to the US, there's no way on earth I could due to the drug costs alone. Let alone other insurance issues being a self employed person. I genuinely feel for US diabetics, it's very wrong to make ones suffer so just to try and get basic medicines.
I’m 26 years old with GERD which is horrible, sometimes I can’t eat anything for 2-3 days. Living with it is absolute Hell, and I can’t get surgery here in America because it’s too expensive for me. I already struggle to pay for my university classes, I’m at the point where I’m so frustrated that I plan to move out of the country once I’m done with university.
Me and my girlfriend have gerd it's some of the worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life and I have nerve damage and pain from car accidents. I know pain. Every single day of my life I know pain.
My dad got sick in mexico multiple times while on vacation. A couple of days in the hospital with antibiotics it was 30$. My uncle is a doctor and works for the state he doesnt make much but his says that he sees a lot of americans.
in Iran we pay almost 2.26 $ for each pen ( both novorapid & lantus ) without insurance . all insurances here support 90% of 5 pens a month of each, so it will be 2.26 $ for 10 pens ( 5 novorapid + 5 lantus ) a month. i am shocked by the prices in US !
in iraq if you buy it, the price for one vial about 10 dollars, also you can get a prescription to a public clinic with a price of 1 dollar in rural areas to 2.5 in city areas to get one ticket which may get you 2 to 4 vials in that one ticket every month
The company Eli Lilly is valued at $320 billion. The US government could purchase the company and run it as a non profit utility. We could provide insulin to Americans the UK price ($7.52 per vial instead of $98.70), which would be a 92% discount, and then export the insulin to other countries at the price they are currently paying. The purchase would pay for itself in 15 years and then it would be revenue generating. But we can't do that because *SoCiALiSm*🙈🙉🙊
"It depends what people are paying in the insurance point of view" 7:10 . Damn bro. These types of people are no better than Chinese government consultants.
Wow I finally find a Vice Doc I am interested in and you guys don't even put up links to the featured pharmacies site? Or links to the websites you guys discuss? I tried google to no avail....
It really turns my stomach that companies are profiting from the misfortune of others. In this backward country with "socialised medicine" (UK), were I diabetic, not only would my insulin be safe and free, all my medications would be. Tell the GOP that single payer works!
What's strange is which medications are and aren't expensive in the US - many common prescriptions are almost free. My blood pressure medication costs 50 cents (!) with my copay. Common antidepressants and pain pills cost $5 for a month's supply with a decent insurer (and not even a crazy price paying out of pocket). It's just odd that in some cases, manufacturers decide to price gouge, and there are no rules in place to prevent that.
Being a type 1 diabetic most of my life feel like its unfair for people to have to pay for insulin when we never asked for this disease. For those that are interested learning more about diabetes I make videos about it please feel free to watch them.
I was diagnosed Type 1 diabetic at 10 years old. If had been living in the US, I literally would have died of poverty. That was long before the prices more than quadrupled. There would be no hope for me as a kid diagnosed today. Whoever is profiting from this obviously doesn't care that they're risking lives by hiking the prices up. People have died from rationing insulin in the United States, and before anyone says that it's a result of lifestyle choices, Type 1 is an autoimmune condition that has nothing to do with diet, weight, or factors within our control. This issue should never be the next political football, can everyone just agree that it's wrong and put an end to this? The same goes for the price hikes on Epi-pens. It's just horrific.
I have heart problems I work for the us government and I still have to pay out of pocket for all my heart meds. And the doctors visits. I love my country the ppl in office not so much
I am from the United Kingdom where we have a national health service so we pay for healthcare out of our taxes comes out of our paychecks automatically. So in essence we don’t pay for healthcare because it’s free at the point of use and there’s no limit to how often you can use the healthcare because regardless of how much you pay you still have the same standard of healthcare. I am aware that a lot of Americans go to Canada which is quite a drive away from America depending on what state you’re in And I’m also aware that Mexico isn’t a five minute walk away from the United States because it depends how close you are to the border in the first place and there are many checks you have to go through to get across the border so it’s not as easy as they make out, but it’s true. The American healthcare system is probably the best in the world if you can afford it but if you can’t it’s a nightmare. No human being, whether they be American Mexican, British or whatever, nobody should have to go without medication America is known for its extortionate healthcare system.
By adding more government regulations? Lol nah. The only reason Mexico has cheap insulin is because the government stays out. Andrew yang isn’t about that at all. In fact, I don’t know of any politicians that are.
There's a newer organization that's working to make the idea of getting insulin to ridiculously low prices & they're called Open Insulin. They just made a video and its also going viral right now.
$295? *that's ludicrously expensive! I'm in Australia and it costs me au$5.40 per week.* (I'm on a low-income card) the regular price without the low-income card price cannot be more than $30.00 per week as *our government caps the price on necessary medications.* Your government should too.
EVERY insurance company patient pair should pay a net price identical to an uninsured patient. THIS WOULD MEAN you treat insurance companies the same as a normal citizen shopping at Wal-mart. No one gets special pricing. If insurance companies want to negotiate with the manufacturer of a drug, they do so as a unit. You get the benefits of a single payer system without loosing market efficiency. Before insurance pricing is visible to everyone. This makes it easy to see which insurance company is giving you the best deal. Insurance companies still compete to give the best coverage for a given monthly fee. If you pay more per month you get a smaller copay. if you pay less, your copay is larger. You would think this is how the system works already, but it's not. Fee schedules are literally cancer. Competition - Transparency - Equality
I take Januvia pill cost 100 mg cost about 400 a month. I take a long acting insulin tresiba 100 units at night. Cost 1900 a month. And another insulin which is fast acting at about 200 dollars a month. Now that's just my insulin not other meds a take. My drug bill for one year about 24 thousand dollars. Thankfully I do have insurance that does help.
@@grateful. because now there is strict enforcement of immigration, so once they leave they cannot come back every now and than. So they just say stuff it and stay here forever.
Hi man is Gabriel Raper. I am currently in an insulin shortage and am rationing what I have left. I want everyone to know it did not have to be this way. I did my best and wish everyone a great life. Please look out for your fellow humans. We need each other. Onelove❤️
Have 20 people go and buy a 90 day supply, come back to USA and sell a couple of dollars under the listed price and damage the pharmaceutical companys revenues and they will be forced to lower prices. More Americans should do this so they can lower prices the more people that do it the bigger the impact....awesome video btw!
My daughter is a type 1 diabetic child.No one will never know the pain in my hearts.only such a parent can understand this.In every minute I yield God to heal my daughter. We're waiting for a cure for these innocent butterflies.
For those shitting on american healthcare, you dont understand how overwhelmed the healthcare system would be if healthcare was cheap as dirt. not to mention the ambition for people to peruse medical degrees would be much less if the money they made was much less. Nobody's going 8 year to college if they only make 50k a year.
In France, there's a list of chronic diseases for which medication and services are 100% reimbursed. Our healthcare spending is 2/3 of that of the US adjusted for revenue, and we It's a long term investment to provide healthcare, but 50+ into this experiment, I think we've fount it's cost effective overall.
Hell, I lived there for 3 years about a decade ago. I wish I could go back. Dental, health care...all are easy to access and so damn affordable it's not even funny. Doc visit was $10 or so....with a shot. and lab...not bad.
I want to key-in to a remark made on the video. The remark was that we [Americans] have no negotiation power. This is what happens when everything has insurance. The pool subsidizes the cost and creates inflation. Direct market systems that allow the consumer to be marketed to and sold to directly force the use of real-world numbers. This results in a lower price. So you like low cost basic medical services? Pay for it directly like these people do in other countries. Please keep in mind that this is only one part of several other major problems.
How can the government not dictate via laws that products like insulin made in the United States cannot be sold for more than 25% of the wholesale price to other countries like Mexico, Canada, Australia and others.
The reasons for the drug's high cost are complicated, and they're not changing anytime soon. VICE News examines what would need to happen to lower the price of insulin in the U.S.
WATCH NEXT: Rural America Is Having A Mental Health Crisis, This Farmer Is Fighting It - bit.ly/2Wcppf7
The high costs are not complicated, whoever has control of it just wants to make money, and they can do it
Shkrelli you ran up the flag pole for a drug that 75 people a year take and he gave away free to people who couldn't afford it. Big Pharma gouges the price on Insulin and "its complicated" smdh @vicenews
In the Netherlands it cost around €14,80 to get 1 pen of Novorapid 100E 3ml. That is in dollars about $16.60. I need about 4 pens per month. 4x €14,80/$16.60 = €59,20/$66,40. That would be yearly about €710,40/$796.80.
But because we have universal healthcare and everybody has the "basic healthcare plan" by law I only need to pay €385,00/$431.51. It's called "own risk" health plan.
Every person has to pay(by law) the maximum amount €385,00/$431.51. when making use of health care/getting prescription drugs. Everything more than that amount of €385,00/$431.51 in healthcare/prescription medicine (like insuline) will get paid by your insurance company. This is called "own risk".
I hope America gets this one day. I feel bad for you guys...
Are you trying to make people yell 'Build that wall, build that wall!'? (Read: people = from other nations) Is this not driving up the prices in Mexico and Canada?
VICE the San Ysidro border crossing in not in the city of Chula Vista as you have it labeled. San Ysidro !!
When insulin is more expensive than heroin... It's how you see your country is great..
@Kindle Fire I feel sorry for you
@Kindle Fire no one should profit off of something u need to live. And the person who invented the formula for insulin agrees 👍. U shouldn't be a life long customer by force. And it's impossible for people born with diseases to be responsible for them. As they are literally babies. I thought all lives matter? But abortion by disease? Republicans have a round about way of legally doing abortions
@Kindle Fire I hope you remember that in the future.
Well.. .heroin is easy/cheap to make compared to insulin so wouldn't use that as an example..
@@ericc4209 Yes i understand, i just mean is that one save life and the other kill.. And the cheapest one should not be the one that kill..
The US has one of the worst health care systems for such a developed country
developed like a multi decade heroin junkie lol
add school, prison and democracy and yet there is more to discover that doesnt work at all!
Not one of the worst, THE worst health care system of any developed country.
You people disgust me, go get a job so you can pay 400 a month for health insurance to not cover anything like the rest of us hard-working Americans...or you can giiit out!
@Nick F o yes for holiday but not so many because it is of course not developed country for holidays makers
When I was deployed, insulin in Afghanistan was about $2-10 depending on brand. Most American brands were cheap, they we were just renamed with a subsidiary for international sales. I was able to get a bunch for folks back home.
In South Korea, insulin is 5$ for one bottle. 5$.
In Sweden it´s free.
@@JR-ne4mv Also free in greece
Also free in UK and most of Europe
US Law back in the 90s environment Law says you can't use this ingredients........ So they make the same drug with new ingredient and patent it... then charge 1000%..
In south Korea used the same old ingredient from over 100 years ago...... no Patent..
Blame the pharmaceutical and the dumb ass US law makers... that got it banned.
@@PSG1JOHN1 completely right!!
It's not $800 worth of insulin, it's $17 worth of insulin that Americans pay far too much for.
In Kazakhstan if kids are diagnosed with Diabetes, government provides all drugs for free. It’s really sad to see people buying insulin
@william terry Every other developed nation has healthcare provided by tax dollars. The US ranks below every single one of those nations. The free market system doesnt work, period. The insurance and pharma companies will jack prices up as high as possible because they know you won't put a price on your life. Most people will pay whatever they have to, to survive. They have all the leverage and the consumer has none. That's why in some industries, the free market doesn't work. Health care should not be for profit.
Carpe Diem when Kazakhstan is more advanced than America and America thinks they are land of the fu@king free.
Insulin, all blood test monitoring, metformin, yellow sharps bins, free at point of purchase in the uk.
@william terry technically that's what the US is doing to its people
it's not free...govt takes the money for other people to pay for you, giving the illusion of "FREE"...congrats, you're enslaving all other countrymen...clap...clap...clap...
@@sleepnaught What does the free market have to do with that? FDA makes it hard for companies to sell insulin because they have the toughest rules for a safety agency. Medication costs a lot in the US because regulators let big pharma get away with it.
Backwards USA, home of health control and gun care.
they need a bullet vaccine
true story, I have a health care plan for my Mossberg 500.
I need to remember that one.
We can have both, the problem is incompetent leaders and politicians. You don’t have to sacrifice human rights in order to gain another human health right.
great play on words...and sadly, very true
Diabetic: Can I get *affordable insulin?*
US Government: We have *insulin* at home
Insulin at home: fentanyl for the low
Elijah Logan 😂
Insulin is free in the US as well if you earn under 50,000 dollars and your insurance does not cover it. (www.lillycares.com/aboutlillycares.aspx). Instead of complaining, look it up!!
@@ddomenike it's a "deal" the pharma companies made in exchange for unregulated prices. If you've EVER had to deal with these "free" drug programs, you'd know how difficult they make it for you. Giving some away for free doesn't excuse scalping the rest of the people. You're better off getting so sick you cant work. That's screwed up!
Insulin is only cheap in Mexico because the government stays out of healthcare.
America is a great country, 1 insulin bottle cost 400$..
One vile 650$
Costs me $100 for 10 vials. And I don't even have good insurance. Everyone is being horribly over dramatic. If you have a full time job in the United States, you can easily afford insulin. What needs to be changed is how ridiculously high deductibles are getting.
It's free if you earn under 50,000 dollars and your insurance does not cover it. (www.lillycares.com/aboutlillycares.aspx)
@@costanzafamilia6322 *vial FWIW
@@KyleJPie10 public health insurance in you're country don't cover actually covers only generic one's I heard that
Mexico: Making America great again!
More like making diabetics normoglycemic again....
God liberal can't meme
@@zakirr739 Yah, let's not forget the other drugs they give us that slaughters tens of thousands of Americans. Oh yah, we forgot about that.
Making america healthy again lol
@@Agtsmirnoff Lol are you trolling? You consume that stuff like its candies. Nobody is forcing americans to do drugs.
Don't build a wall to keep us out. Love from New York. ❤️
I am so happy I’m not a sick person living in the US
Me 2
What sucks is to be dead!
william terry oh look, yet another American who was brainwashed in grade school. America is not great nor has it ever been great, they put profit above people without a second thought
you will one day.....
Yeah rather be a sick person in backwards as Sweden huh? Lmao
WHAT !! a *CARAVAN* of needy people ... marching from USA to Mexico
Lol
An invasion, you could say...
The irony right 😂
But they go back after lol
@@allankelly1696 and they contribute to the economy
PROFITS OVER PEOPLE, ITS THE AMERICAN WAY!
Please keep producing content like this, opposed to the the recent videos which only seem to pander. I LOVE classic vice.
I used to work at a call center for a mail order pharmacy, definitely one of the worst jobs I've had. My first day on the phone while still in training a guy told me he was going to eat his shotgun if I couldn't send him free medicine. A girl next to me was brought to tears once because a woman wanted her full name to write in her suicide note blaming her.
Sounds likes you two spoke to a few assholes who don’t understand how the system works and are willing to blame a call-center employee for something they can’t conttol.
Taylor Made people in desperate need do desperate things. An adult should know something so basic about the human nature.
I haven't gotten that extreme, but I've come pretty close when talking to people for mail order pharmacies. Just understand that it's not personal. All the people who are actually to blame have made it so the only people we can talk to are people like you.
People get so desperate for there meds that they're contemplating suicide? That's nuts.. I pay 700 dollars a month for health insurance and a doctor's visit is 120 dollars with Kaiser lol.. I pay 700 dollars a month for insurance and can't afford to see a doctor.. It's nuts..a regular doctor's visits bills is close to 400 dollars..
@@xxmike112xx these companies understand that patients feel this way about their lack of treatment access. This is exactly why these call centers exist. They're willing to invest in employee's meager wages because they know that it means they'll continue being able to overcharge and profit off of our healthcare. They *do* understand how the system works. The system is designed to protect the wealthiest and most powerful individuals.
In Ireland I pay €70 a year for my insulin, chips and tester.
It would also be free if I wanted it to be.
I doubt for much longer.
@@LEO-xo9cz Why?
@@chrisdoherty2199 Your PM concerns me.
@@LEO-xo9cz What would be the reason for this price to increase in the near future?
@@LEO-xo9cz Boris Johnson is pm of UK not Ireland
This is pretty sad. I was diagnosed in 77’ (43 years) with Type 1. I’ve used beef and pork zinc insulin crystals, Lantus, Humalog, Novolog and you name it. Disposable syringes, pens and pumps over the years and I’m still amazed at the cost of insulin and supplies. Ever since Genentech back in the late 70s used recombinant DNA technology to produce insulin, it would seem to me that the prices should drop. This technology (rDNA) is pretty mature, with incredible efficiencies in the Manufacturing compared to past processes. I’m currently using Humalog in a 670g Minimed pump. I currently use 1 10ml vial every 8 days or so. I calculated that I would pay nearly $1400 per month at cost without insurance. That’s just insulin and doesn’t include the material consumables. People wonder why I’m stressed at times. One thing for sure, people that have this condition and can’t afford insulin shouldn’t have to worry.
This is what happens when you have pharmaceutical monopolies
pharmaceutical companies are not the problem!!!! The insurance and PBM's are the major issue. PBM and Insurance companies have been feeding you miss information. If the pharma company is the issue how come its cheaper in Mexico?
I_TouchDown_There Win Its all of them the pharmaceutical companies, the PBM’s and the insurance companies they are taking advantage of us to get filthy rich
Jey M they are totally are making a ton of money. How come it’s cheaper to get meds over the mail that at a local pharmacy? Because insurance companies now own PBM’s
1. UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealth created OptumRx, its in-house PBM by combining existing pharmacy and care delivery services within the company in 2011. It also purchased CatamaranRx in 2015, which expanded its PBM capabilities.
2. Anthem. Anthem will launch an in-house PBM called IngenioRx. Initially expected to launch in 2020, the insurer said it will now expedite the roll out. In March, Anthem terminated its PBM agreement with Express Scripts.
3. Aetna. Aetna recently merged with CVS Health. As a result, Aetna now has access to CVS Caremark, the PBM of CVS Health.
4. Cigna. Cigna recently merged with Express Scripts, one of the top PBMs in the nation. It also had Cigna Pharmacy Management, a smaller in-house PBM.
5. Humana. Humana has its own in-house PBM called Humana Pharmacy Solutions.
The insurance companies are the problem.
Pharma still make billions but they spend it on research and salaries. Insurance companies don’t they just get in the money and provide no new services.
Not really. This is what happens when you have inelastic demand. It doesn't matter what the pharmaceutical company charges for insulin, consumers have to pay because if they don't, they die. Capitalism breaks down at a fundamental level when the consumer cannot negotiate effectively with the supplier, as it has with medicine in the US.
In the UK insulin is free for type 1 diabetics because it’s a life saving medicine for a chronical illness. It’s crazy that in America people have to pay such high prices for medicine that is essential to stay alive
well, we put profits over peoples lives. Murika!
The poor must be suffering in silence. God help them. This is downright wrong to charge that much money for insulin.
I see that this is a 2 year old comment, but I used to inject water into my insulin vial to make it last longer. it's really sucky being a diabetic
@@patrentfrow So sorry about that brother. We hope things change for the better.
that god supposedly gave them the disease. What are you praying for? isn't it already all pre determined according to you delusional sky daddy believers?
they die so yeah you can say they are silence!
My asthma medicine cost me 380 bucks with out insurance in the u.s. .. Ive been living in Paraguay for 2 years now. I was shocked the first time I went to buy my medicine and it was only 17 bucks.. The exact same thing
... We are really getting screwed in the u.s.
I feel terrible people have to suffer due to corporate greed.
life is suffering. it's one reason i will never have kids. i'd never bring a soul into this hellworld.
here in nepal, a nordisk insulin pen cost around 50-60 us dollar, and fill is around $15 per tube which last for 2 or 3 weeks depending how you use it. funnier parts is it cost around $ 1.5 per day(two chips) for sugar level check chip, that measures your level. i guess it around $70 dollar average per month
so in other words, nobody can afford it. nepal doesnt seem like a place that pays the same as NYC.
I have brand new 2022 Nordisk pen still in the box I wish I could give you...
Louise’s question about the medication is a perfect example of how traveling, especially to our neighbors is essential for understanding not just them but our own system ... if all Americans traveled abroad I know we wouldn’t stand for the state of our current medical system
I sincerely hope that, from the bottom of my heart, that Americans will realise how bad their medical system is compared to the rest of the world, and take action to change it.
In the UK, we have the NHS, and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 1, and have never paid a penny for insulin, needles, etc.
I was shocked to hear that people were literally dying because they couldn't get insulin because it somehow had a pricetag... And it was 100s of dollars to top it all off! The insulin companies make over 90% profit from these products, and simply rely on their status of being a manufacturing oligopoly that makes a medicine that sustains millions of people's lives to steal your money!
There's no way that two developed, first world countries should have such a massive difference in accessibility of any medicine that can kill people if not injected for a few days.
It's sickening.
Americans dont need health insurance only V8 engines and AR 15's YEEEHAAWWWW MURICA !!!!!
😂
“I don’t know the price” yeah right dude
I have type one diabetes and it sucks having to buy insulin just to stay alive.
In India 7 huminsulin vial ( 30/70) cost around 12$.
As a type 1 diabetic, not having insurance was more life-threatening than you think. I have had the luck to have a nice endocrinologist who understood and gave me samples, I was given 10 bottles, back then each bottle was about $50 out of pocket. I was so thankful. I am insured now, just glad those horrific days are over.
1 bottle in Philippines is 2$ lol 😂. Department of Health sent spies regularly to check prices.
Weird how other industrialized countries don’t have this problem, huh
Well well well USA, so now you don't use the grainy film with sepia color tone when showing Mexico. In this specific case we are not the scary and suspicious neighbor, we are on full color and a hopeful place. Lol. Just kidding. Somewhat.
The American system is quite rotten
They make money off the foods and things that cause it and the cure.
Yes. But it's a global problem. 😒
@Crim Sin Thanks to the crap food that the pheasants eat due to slavery, marketing, cost of living. A McDonald's is cheaper than a healthy meal.
it never was made for other people...
"They call it the American dream because you gotta be asleep to believe it"
I can't believe how crazy the system is over there. In Australia, all citizens have access to public healthcare and subsidised prescription drugs. The companies are forbidden to directly market their brands to patients; they can only promote to qualified doctors and the doctors have the final say. People on low incomes get medicines for $6.50 each. Diabetes Australia also runs a scheme to supply other diabetic requirements at a subsidised cost.
What the hell is wrong with you, America??
In Finland insulin is 100% free. Same with bloodsugar measurement used needles and those slides. 100% free, just go to doctor and they give box of em or pharmacy for free insulin pens.
But u pay >70% in taxes
In the Netherlands it cost around €14,80 to get 1 pen of Novorapid 100E 3ml. That is in dollars about $16.60. I need about 4 pens per month. 4x €14,80/$16.60 = €59,20/$66,40. That would be yearly about €710,40/$796.80.
But because we have universal healthcare and everybody has the "basic healthcare plan" by law I only need to pay €385,00/$431.51. It's called "own risk" health plan.
Every person has to pay(by law) the maximum amount €385,00/$431.51. when making use of health care/getting prescription drugs. Everything more than that amount of €385,00/$431.51 in healthcare/prescription medicine (like insuline) will get paid by your insurance company. This is called "own risk".
I hope America gets this one day. I feel bad for you guys...
Bravo! I am flabbergasted at what diabetics have to go through. Great reporting. I was already aware of this, and deeply saddened. I'm not diabetic, prone to be, but just in case, I already live in Mexico, near Tijuana too. LOL
My dad paying 4$/month for government's public healthcare insurance , and he got a pen of insulin for his diabetes and some drug for his coronary problems, what a relief
my symbacort inhaler is $450 here w/o insurance ( I need it monthly) but in mexico its $50 with my copay its $100 I pay for insurance just to afford this but my insurance is $400/mo when I saw this the lightbulb came on
I live in Canada and have work coverage and just bought the same inhaler for a 1$
Allan Kelly wow wow wow
I was 7 years old when I was diagnosed with diabetes . I am now 65 . I remember my mother complaining about paying $25 for a case of insulin and to think what we are paying now .
The opening scene is NOT Chula Vista. That is San Ysidro. Chula Vista doesn't run along the border
I was thinking the same thing lol. I even googled it to make sure
So your saying this is fake news?
To all my American friends - Stay healthy by exercising and eating healthy. Don't smoke and don't drink too much. If you become diabetic, consider moving to Canada or Mexico.
Canada does not have a universal drug plan by any means, unless over 65. If you get a supplemental insurance plan it may cover some costs, but not all. If you are on a group plan at a job, that may cover things. If you are self employed, good luck. I have a bottom of the barrel health insurance plan, the best I can get, I sure have looked at all options, and I have a whopping $250 a year drug coverage on that plan. That would last less than 2 weeks of my meds. I am very lucky my endocrinologist supplies me for free with insulin. I am very resistant and go through a lot of it, around 120 units per meal, so one pen lasts me just over a day. I'd be paying several hundred a month if she didn't supply me with it.
Yes, it costs a lot less here in Canada than the US, but it's by no means free or near it. People ask me all the time why I don't move to the US, there's no way on earth I could due to the drug costs alone. Let alone other insurance issues being a self employed person. I genuinely feel for US diabetics, it's very wrong to make ones suffer so just to try and get basic medicines.
The cheapest insulin I could find in India is about $0.1 for a 10ml vial.
I’m 26 years old with GERD which is horrible, sometimes I can’t eat anything for 2-3 days. Living with it is absolute Hell, and I can’t get surgery here in America because it’s too expensive for me. I already struggle to pay for my university classes, I’m at the point where I’m so frustrated that I plan to move out of the country once I’m done with university.
:( that is F*ed up man
Me and my girlfriend have gerd it's some of the worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life and I have nerve damage and pain from car accidents. I know pain. Every single day of my life I know pain.
I love how they shed the light on the truth that us diabetics have to live in the United States
Making the US great again starts with fixing this problem
*providing universal healthcare
5:31 finally inside the factory
I just checked that Humalog pens cost about 47€ in Finland. 5x3ml.
Also I think KELA pays most if not all of it anyway.
My dad got sick in mexico multiple times while on vacation. A couple of days in the hospital with antibiotics it was 30$. My uncle is a doctor and works for the state he doesnt make much but his says that he sees a lot of americans.
May Mexico should close their boundary too..I guess
6:15 , the $1.2B investment in manufacturing over 7 years should be compared to the company's yearly revenue of $24.6B in 2019.
in Iran we pay almost 2.26 $ for each pen ( both novorapid & lantus ) without insurance . all insurances here support 90% of 5 pens a month of each, so it will be 2.26 $ for 10 pens ( 5 novorapid + 5 lantus ) a month. i am shocked by the prices in US !
I've been a diebetic for 20 years and my A1c is between 5.9- to 6.5 every 3 months.
Weird flex but okay... jk lol thats actually very impressive, been one for 6 years and ive never been below 7!
My friend had a diabetic stroke on a street corner. When will this madness end?
Hahaha....they call that Cartel....CAPITALISM!!!
😂
Corptocrisy.
lobbyist...
in iraq if you buy it, the price for one vial about 10 dollars, also you can get a prescription to a public clinic with a price of 1 dollar in rural areas to 2.5 in city areas to get one ticket which may get you 2 to 4 vials in that one ticket every month
Where is this pharmacy located? My daughter is T1d i would love to stock up for emergencies
Vice, you're fantastic recently. I think a change in title on this video would attract a wider audience.
The company Eli Lilly is valued at $320 billion. The US government could purchase the company and run it as a non profit utility. We could provide insulin to Americans the UK price ($7.52 per vial instead of $98.70), which would be a 92% discount, and then export the insulin to other countries at the price they are currently paying. The purchase would pay for itself in 15 years and then it would be revenue generating. But we can't do that because *SoCiALiSm*🙈🙉🙊
"It depends what people are paying in the insurance point of view" 7:10 . Damn bro. These types of people are no better than Chinese government consultants.
insulin in the US is a joke, it is so expensive💸. Just get insulin from where it was first made 🇨🇦
Wow I finally find a Vice Doc I am interested in and you guys don't even put up links to the featured pharmacies site? Or links to the websites you guys discuss? I tried google to no avail....
Even the politicians who are talking about this don't want to fix it because of intense lobbying ...
México welcomes everyone from anywhere.
@@daesfu Not everyone is living in s.border states ...
How did you guys refrigerate your insulin that whole time? I pay a $25 copay for 3 boxes every month (15 pens).
It really turns my stomach that companies are profiting from the misfortune of others. In this backward country with "socialised medicine" (UK), were I diabetic, not only would my insulin be safe and free, all my medications would be. Tell the GOP that single payer works!
What's strange is which medications are and aren't expensive in the US - many common prescriptions are almost free. My blood pressure medication costs 50 cents (!) with my copay. Common antidepressants and pain pills cost $5 for a month's supply with a decent insurer (and not even a crazy price paying out of pocket). It's just odd that in some cases, manufacturers decide to price gouge, and there are no rules in place to prevent that.
Being a type 1 diabetic most of my life feel like its unfair for people to have to pay for insulin when we never asked for this disease. For those that are interested learning more about diabetes I make videos about it please feel free to watch them.
Right off top, THAT ain’t Chula Vista in the opening. That’s San Diego. The neighborhood is San Ysidro. It’s South San Diego, but it’s still SD.
I was diagnosed Type 1 diabetic at 10 years old. If had been living in the US, I literally would have died of poverty. That was long before the prices more than quadrupled. There would be no hope for me as a kid diagnosed today. Whoever is profiting from this obviously doesn't care that they're risking lives by hiking the prices up. People have died from rationing insulin in the United States, and before anyone says that it's a result of lifestyle choices, Type 1 is an autoimmune condition that has nothing to do with diet, weight, or factors within our control. This issue should never be the next political football, can everyone just agree that it's wrong and put an end to this? The same goes for the price hikes on Epi-pens. It's just horrific.
Omg I live in the UK and can order as much insulin when ever I want for free plus a glucose monitor!
We are so blessed but take it for granted😲
I love living in Mexico. The US is very pretty but I don’t understand how some people can live like this
I have heart problems I work for the us government and I still have to pay out of pocket for all my heart meds. And the doctors visits. I love my country the ppl in office not so much
I work in a United Healthcare call center and manage pharmacy benefits for multiple insurance companies. This is a sad story I hear every day.
Amazing reporting, thank you!
I am from the United Kingdom where we have a national health service so we pay for healthcare out of our taxes comes out of our paychecks automatically. So in essence we don’t pay for healthcare because it’s free at the point of use and there’s no limit to how often you can use the healthcare because regardless of how much you pay you still have the same standard of healthcare.
I am aware that a lot of Americans go to Canada which is quite a drive away from America depending on what state you’re in And I’m also aware that Mexico isn’t a five minute walk away from the United States because it depends how close you are to the border in the first place and there are many checks you have to go through to get across the border so it’s not as easy as they make out, but it’s true. The American healthcare system is probably the best in the world if you can afford it but if you can’t it’s a nightmare. No human being, whether they be American Mexican, British or whatever, nobody should have to go without medication America is known for its extortionate healthcare system.
Totally legal! Insulin is a hormone, not a drug.
Andrew Yang 2020 let’s fix these problems!
Lmao how would he fix it?
By adding more government regulations? Lol nah. The only reason Mexico has cheap insulin is because the government stays out. Andrew yang isn’t about that at all. In fact, I don’t know of any politicians that are.
"tens of millions of dollars of insulin" Yeah, if you call it by USA prices, otherwise it'll drop a lot. 6:30
JUST IN..... after watching this video big pharam’s decided they need to increase the cost again for no reason at all. They’re so kind god bless them.
Really?
@@saber.4452 nope
@@bobsagget823 okay.thanks.
There's a newer organization that's working to make the idea of getting insulin to ridiculously low prices & they're called Open Insulin. They just made a video and its also going viral right now.
great piece, vice.
I am genuinely surprise no one on the video blamed president Trump. Great video. 👍🏽
this guy is a greater journalist than like 90% of ur other journalists.
$295? *that's ludicrously expensive! I'm in Australia and it costs me au$5.40 per week.* (I'm on a low-income card) the regular price without the low-income card price cannot be more than $30.00 per week as *our government caps the price on necessary medications.*
Your government should too.
Medical bills are one of if not the leading cause of debt in the U.S.
#1 reason for bankruptcy is medical debt!
EVERY insurance company patient pair should pay a net price identical to an uninsured patient. THIS WOULD MEAN you treat insurance companies the same as a normal citizen shopping at Wal-mart. No one gets special pricing. If insurance companies want to negotiate with the manufacturer of a drug, they do so as a unit. You get the benefits of a single payer system without loosing market efficiency. Before insurance pricing is visible to everyone. This makes it easy to see which insurance company is giving you the best deal. Insurance companies still compete to give the best coverage for a given monthly fee. If you pay more per month you get a smaller copay. if you pay less, your copay is larger.
You would think this is how the system works already, but it's not. Fee schedules are literally cancer.
Competition - Transparency - Equality
I take Januvia pill cost 100 mg cost about 400 a month. I take a long acting insulin tresiba 100 units at night. Cost 1900 a month. And another insulin which is fast acting at about 200 dollars a month. Now that's just my insulin not other meds a take. My drug bill for one year about 24 thousand dollars. Thankfully I do have insurance that does help.
The US caravan to mexico... we send our best? I guess just the sick it seem.
The difference is we send them and get them back
@@grateful. and prior to the stricter enforcement of border policy, they work here than go back. so didn't use to be different from your statement.
@@noirto2 most of them stayed here though
@@grateful. because now there is strict enforcement of immigration, so once they leave they cannot come back every now and than. So they just say stuff it and stay here forever.
@@noirto2 you make it seem like them staying is a new thing. Not all of them were going back at night to thier home in mexico
Hi man is Gabriel Raper.
I am currently in an insulin shortage and am rationing what I have left. I want everyone to know it did not have to be this way. I did my best and wish everyone a great life. Please look out for your fellow humans. We need each other. Onelove❤️
Have 20 people go and buy a 90 day supply, come back to USA and sell a couple of dollars under the listed price and damage the pharmaceutical companys revenues and they will be forced to lower prices. More Americans should do this so they can lower prices the more people that do it the bigger the impact....awesome video btw!
My daughter is a type 1 diabetic child.No one will never know the pain in my hearts.only such a parent can understand this.In every minute I yield God to heal
my daughter. We're waiting for a cure for these innocent butterflies.
I am also in that situation. My daughter is 3 years old.
Thanks for reminding viewers that insulin is pricey! 😮 💰 😮 💵 😮
For those shitting on american healthcare, you dont understand how overwhelmed the healthcare system would be if healthcare was cheap as dirt. not to mention the ambition for people to peruse medical degrees would be much less if the money they made was much less. Nobody's going 8 year to college if they only make 50k a year.
In France, there's a list of chronic diseases for which medication and services are 100% reimbursed. Our healthcare spending is 2/3 of that of the US adjusted for revenue, and we It's a long term investment to provide healthcare, but 50+ into this experiment, I think we've fount it's cost effective overall.
Hell, I lived there for 3 years about a decade ago. I wish I could go back. Dental, health care...all are easy to access and so damn affordable it's not even funny. Doc visit was $10 or so....with a shot. and lab...not bad.
I want to key-in to a remark made on the video. The remark was that we [Americans] have no negotiation power. This is what happens when everything has insurance. The pool subsidizes the cost and creates inflation. Direct market systems that allow the consumer to be marketed to and sold to directly force the use of real-world numbers. This results in a lower price. So you like low cost basic medical services? Pay for it directly like these people do in other countries. Please keep in mind that this is only one part of several other major problems.
How can the government not dictate via laws that products like insulin made in the United States cannot be sold for more than 25% of the wholesale price to other countries like Mexico, Canada, Australia and others.
can't believe the US is trying to export their healthcare model to the UK lmao