How did insulin become so expensive in the USA (but not in other countries)?
1. Frederick Banting discovered insulin in 1923 and refused to put his name on
the patent because he found it unethical for a doctor to profit from a life-
saving discovery. His co-inventors, James Collip sold the patent to the
University of Toronto for $1 because they wanted everyone who needed it to
be able to afford it. Given that history:
Insulin prices have skyrocketed in recent years, forcing people with inadequate
health insurance and limited incomes to make some difficult choices.
A. How did insulin become so expensive in the USA (but not in other
coutnries)?
APAB. How much have insulin prices changed in the last ten years (or so – just
pick a year at least 5 years ago as a starting point and show by what
percent prices have changed).
C. What are the two basic types of insulin and why do they differ so much
in price in the USA?
D. What policy change in the USA might keep Type I diabetics from
making dangerous money-saving decisions once they fall off their
parents’ insurance when they reach the age of 26?
E. What case could there be made for excluding Type II diabetics from an
insulin-assistance program?
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