Minnesota legislators clash over insulin-funding plan

[TexasTowelie]

By Jessie Van Berkel


The first public meeting of a working group on insulin accessibility showed little progress Wednesday as Minnesota lawmakers remained at odds over how to operate and pay for an emergency program to help diabetics secure the lifesaving drug.

Republicans and Democrats, who have been meeting over the past two months, both want patients who are having a crisis to immediately get insulin they can afford. They also want to connect people with long-term health care coverage to prevent future emergencies for those dealing with the skyrocketing cost of insulin.

But shortly after legislators kicked off the meeting of their insulin assistance working group, lingering divisions were quickly evident.

“We’ve been talking past each other for months now,” Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake, said as the two sides diverged over the logistics of how to dispense emergency supplies of the drug.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/legislators-clash-over-insulin-funding-plan/566319452/