Proposed Washington state bill to cap insulin at $100

SEATTLE – A Washington state lawmaker has announced plans to introduce legislation that would cap insulin costs at $100 a month.

Sen. Karen Keiser introduced the bill last month after a report showed patients spent three times more on insulin between 2002 and 2013, with the cost increasing from $231 to $736, KING-TV reported Thursday.

The measure mandates that health plans issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2021, must cap insulin co-payments, deductibles and other forms of cost sharing at $100 for each 30-day supply, officials said.

Keiser also introduced multiple other bills in December that target increasing medication costs, including one creating a cost monitoring board and another creating a work group to look at allowing a single statewide insulin purchaser, officials said.

The legislative session is scheduled to begin Jan. 14.

Colorado capped insulin prices last month at $100 a month and Illinois approved a similar cap in November, officials said.