Cost of Insulin Doubled as Usage Stayed Flat, Says HCCI

Insulin costs nearly doubled from 2012 to 2016, even as usage remained stable, according to a new analysis from the Health Care Costs Institute (HCCI) — a non-profit funded in part by Aetna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare.

The HCCI researchers analyzed about 15,000 claims and found that average daily insulin use increased by just three percent during the period, while spending on insulin by Type 1 diabetes patients increased by nearly 100 percent.

The average point-of-sale price for insulin products increased from $0.13 to $0.25 per unit for the period. For a patient using the average amount of insulin — 60 units per day — this represented a jump from $7.80 to $15 per day.