SALT LAKE CITY – HB 207 Insulin Access Amendments, sponsored by Representative Norm Thurston (R-Provo), includes a first-of-its-kind provision for the state to create and provide access to a bulk purchasing program for insulin.

The bill instructs the Public Employees Health Plan (PEHP) to allow any Utah resident to take advantage of PEHP’s negotiated discounted rates for insulin products. These discounts result in an approximately 60 percent discount from the prices that many people are currently paying.

The bill instructed PEHP to make this happen by Jan. 1, 2021. However, PEHP has been able to accelerate implementation, and access to the program will open on June 1, seven months ahead of schedule.

A significant percentage of diabetics report rationing or using less insulin than they need. This behavior is dangerous and can lead to blindness, kidney failure or death. The primary factor leading to rationing is the high cost of insulin.

By providing access to this program, any individual needing insulin in the state will be able to purchase it at a discounted price regardless of whether they are uninsured or what their insurance plan makes available to them.

This is part of a larger effort to ensure that nobody in Utah resorts to rationing or leaves a pharmacy without the insulin they need.

“Our goal is to ensure that nobody ever takes less insulin than they should be taking due to cost or administrative issues. This provision is a key step in making sure that it never happens in our state,” says Representative Thurston. “I am very appreciative of PEHP’s willingness to get this done so quickly and hope that many Utahns will get some needed relief.”