National Diabetes Month

Floor Speech

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Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I rise during National Diabetes Month to recognize the monumental impact my plan to cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month for seniors has had on the lives of millions.

There is no time off when you live with diabetes. It is a constant, ever-present disease that influences every aspect of your life.

Those born with diabetes live their entire lives checking their blood sugar every other hour, and they must constantly be wary of what they eat, what they drink, and what they must monitor to survive.

Almost 40 million Americans live with diabetes. Over a million of them are in Georgia alone.

Black Americans are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and twice as likely to die from it.

Many of those who live with this chronic disease must take insulin every day to survive, and even still, it remains the seventh leading cause of death in our country.

In 1920, before insulin was discovered, it would have been exceptional for diabetic patients to live longer than a year or two.

But for over 100 years, the discovery of insulin has saved lives, and has remained the most effective treatment for all those living with this chronic disease.

We have seen this life-saving medication get further and further out of reach for those families who need it.

Why is it that in the richest country in the history of the world, children must watch their grandmothers and grandfathers ration the very drug that helps to keep them alive, just to get by?

My bill, which took effect at the start of this year, caps this life- saving drug at just $35 a month for our seniors, a step that lowers their overall prescription drug costs and saves lives.

I thank my colleagues for convening this Special Order Hour to bring awareness to the gravity of the legislation we have passed for the American people and the need to continue this vital work.

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