CHC Statement Marking World Diabetes Day

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), released the following statement marking World Diabetes Day:

"World Diabetes Day should serve as a reminder to support our loved ones with diabetes and help break the silence around living with diabetes. Today is also a reminder of the failures in our healthcare system and the need to do better for the millions of Americans living with diabetes and their families. Right now, the cost of insulin - which diabetics rely on to live - is astronomically high. With rising costs, some patients can no longer afford their insulin and have been forced into rationing their medication or driving hundreds of miles, across national borders, to find insulin they can afford.

"This issue is personal to me; my mom has diabetes and my grandmother died from complications of diabetes. Latinos are disproportionately impacted by diabetes, and it is a leading cause of death in our communities. There are over 8 million Latinos with diabetes in the US right now – that's nearly 17% of Hispanics in the US. When I hear those numbers, I think of all the children, grandchildren, and parents who worry about their loved ones, who shouldn't have to be scared of choosing to afford insulin or pay for their rent or groceries. American families shouldn't have to live like this.

"That's why I've prioritized combatting the insulin crisis as a top issue for the Hispanic Caucus during this Congress. We have brought before the CHC a number of CEOs from across the insulin industry to discuss what steps they are taking to reduce the cost of insulin. There is no excuse for major pharmaceutical companies to be raking in profits while Americans are dying. We must demand accountability from these companies and work together to ensure that insulin and all lifesaving medications are accessible and affordable to all who need them."

Background: Under the leadership of Chairman Joaquin Castro, the CHC has elevated affordable prescription drug pricing and ending the insulin crisis as top priorities for this Congress. The Caucus has met with the key players in the insulin production and distribution chain. In May, CHC met with leadership of the three largest insulin production companies in the world: Sanofi CEO Olivier Brandicourt, Novo Nordisk Executive Doug Langa, and Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks. The Caucus has since met with three of the leading Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), which negotiate the prices and availability of insulin products in formularies that then place insulin into pharmacies. In July, CHC met with Derica Rice, who serves as President of CVS Caremark and Executive Vice President at CVS Health. Later, in September, CHC met with Express Scripts and Cigna Health Services President Tim Wentworth, as well as John Price, who serves as CEO of OptumRX at United Health Group. The CHC will continue meeting with key players in the insulin crisis and work to ensure that insulin is affordable for all.

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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.