The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted to pass the INSULIN Act, bipartisan legislation intended to lower out-of-pocket insulin costs. The measure cleared the committee by a recorded vote of 17-5. According to the Endocrine Society report, the passage represents a key legislative step as the bill continues through the Senate.
The lawmakers who introduced the bill are Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and John Kennedy (R-LA). The Endocrine Society supported the development of the legislation and endorsed it as part of its advocacy agenda.
The legislation contains two primary provisions described by the Endocrine Society. First, it would expand the existing $35 insulin co-pay cap—currently available to Medicare beneficiaries—to people covered by private insurance. Second, the bill would establish a pilot program across 10 states to identify uninsured individuals living with diabetes and provide them with insulin at $35 per month.
These provisions are presented as historic steps to reduce financial barriers to insulin access and to extend protections that had previously been limited to Medicare enrollees.
The Endocrine Society reports active involvement in both the development and promotion of the INSULIN Act. The Society worked closely with Senators Shaheen and Collins, who co-chair the Senate Diabetes Caucus, to advance the bill. Their advocacy included coordination with congressional offices and efforts to secure committee and broader congressional support.
The Society also mobilized member leaders to engage directly with lawmakers. Specifically, member leader Alvin Powers, MD, an endocrinologist and diabetes researcher at Vanderbilt University, traveled to Capitol Hill and met with congressional offices to advocate for passage of the legislation in the days prior to the committee markup.
The HELP Committee approved the INSULIN Act by a vote of 17-5. The Endocrine Society noted that the vote included support from six Republican and 11 Democratic committee members. The bipartisan margin on the committee is highlighted by the Society as evidence of cross-party backing for measures to lower insulin costs.
The Society credited collaborative relationships with the bill’s sponsors and caucus leadership for helping to secure this level of bipartisan support during committee consideration.
Following committee passage in the Senate, the Endocrine Society reported plans to introduce the legislation in the House of Representatives. The Society worked with Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO), co-chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus in the House, to prepare the House introduction. According to the Society, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and other House Republicans were engaged to obtain additional co-sponsors.
The Society stated that the bill was planned for introduction in the House in September. The source does not report subsequent actions or outcomes beyond the planned House introduction.
In advance of the committee vote and the planned House introduction, the Endocrine Society undertook a series of advocacy activities. These included direct meetings with senators’ offices and briefings with House members to secure co-sponsorship and build momentum. The Society specifically highlighted its close collaboration with the Senate Diabetes Caucus co-chairs and with House Diabetes Caucus leadership as central to these efforts.
The source reports that the Society’s advocacy included outreach to members of both parties and relied on clinician-advocates from within the Society’s membership to amplify support for the bill on Capitol Hill.
This summary is drawn solely from the Endocrine Society’s reporting on the committee passage of the INSULIN Act. The article provides vote totals, named sponsors, the Society’s role in developing and endorsing the legislation, the bill’s core provisions, and planned steps for introduction in the House. The source did not report additional legislative text details, implementation mechanics for the pilot program, timelines beyond the planned September House introduction, or subsequent congressional actions following the committee vote.