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Why the Price of Insulin is a Danger to Diabetics | Brooke Bennett | TED

The price of insulin in the US is both outrageous and deadly to those who can’t live without it. Diabetes advocate Brooke Bennett shares her own struggles living with type 1 diabetes and how the astronomical cost of a life-saving drug leaves millions struggling to survive. A rallying cry for an affordable and humane livelihood…

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The price of insulin in the US is both outrageous and deadly to those who can’t live without it. Diabetes advocate Brooke Bennett shares her own struggles living with type 1 diabetes and how the astronomical cost of a life-saving drug leaves millions struggling to survive. A rallying cry for an affordable and humane livelihood for those with chronic illness.

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77 Comments

77 Comments

  1. Athena Reyes

    September 15, 2022 at 2:48 pm

    🙁

    • WhatsApp ①②①⑧⑨⑨⑥⑤⑥⑧⑦

      September 15, 2022 at 2:55 pm

      Feedback appreciated
      Wanting more insights?
      Endeavor to reach out! 📊..

  2. TheKalash

    September 15, 2022 at 2:58 pm

    Thanks Captain Obvious, you saved the day again!

  3. Luiza Marchetti

    September 15, 2022 at 3:09 pm

    That’s unfortunately the American Dream

  4. Myrslokstok

    September 15, 2022 at 3:35 pm

    Could you produce it yourself?
    This is the real epedemic!

  5. Pondering Infinity

    September 15, 2022 at 3:36 pm

    Hello Brooke,

    I stumbled onto your talk and it really hit home. My son was diagnosed with Type 1 a few years ago so I can empathize with you AND your parents. As I listened, I relived each and every circumstance almost to the point of tears. Trips to Urgent care to be transferred, via ambulance, to the hospital and eventually the ICE. Rationing insulin, test strips, and pen needles. The list goes on and on…. I would like to interview you on my podcast. Please contact me if you’re interested. If not, I understand and wish you the best!

  6. Stephen Rose

    September 15, 2022 at 3:50 pm

    Not a fan of this from of performative speech telling

  7. John Shaw

    September 15, 2022 at 4:02 pm

    Great video, thank you for sharing. 🙂

  8. Perry Pereyra

    September 15, 2022 at 4:15 pm

    USA moment 🇺🇸

  9. Emmanuel Maxwell

    September 15, 2022 at 4:41 pm

    My greatest happiness is the $ 64,000 bi weekly profit I get consistently from my $15,000 investment despite the economic fluctuation

    • Michelle Sasha

      September 15, 2022 at 5:57 pm

      @Lucía Mía The contact info on the comment is correct she’s mostly available on Whats,, Apk…

    • Michelle Sasha

      September 15, 2022 at 5:58 pm

      +148021

    • Michelle Sasha

      September 15, 2022 at 5:59 pm

      08650

    • Frankie R. Jones

      September 15, 2022 at 6:03 pm

      This is the kind of information that we don’t get from most Youtubers I will get in touch with her right now

    • issa olore

      September 15, 2022 at 6:06 pm

      Count me in, I’m placing my trades with Expert Brenda Iember Titus ASAP.

  10. joaofelipl4k

    September 15, 2022 at 4:56 pm

    Just stop eating carbs.

  11. Christine James

    September 15, 2022 at 5:08 pm

    T1 mama here ♥ Lucky enough for good insurance but of course worry about that magical number as well.

  12. texanfournow

    September 15, 2022 at 5:12 pm

    Yikes. Would you like a strawberry to go with the whine?

    Yes, Type 1 diabetes is annoying and your life is always in jeopardy. So how does one respond? Well, I want to live, so I do what it takes to keep me out of a casket. Brooke seems to feel very, very sorry for herself. Sounds cold, but she needs to grow up and face diabetes with grit and determination–if she wants to live a long life.

    I was diagnosed at age six, when I nearly died twice (hyperglycemia & hypoglycemia). I have done everything Brooke described, except I have done it for 57 years: 25,000 shots, 30,000 blood tests, 2,000 infusion sets, ten insulin pumps @$7,000 each, plus several hundred glucose sensors. And I have never complained or felt sorry for myself. It does require one thing: SELF-DISCIPLINE.

    My A1C is 5.8. Why? Because I exercise, eat reasonably (no Frosties-why??), and monitor my status all day, every day. My endocrinologist gives me high-fives. I have 50-year medals from the Joslin Clinic and Eli Lilly.

    I also have a Tandem pump (which I paid cash for) after pumping with Medtronic for 20 years. I switched to Tandem because it has a computer algorithm that takes info from the Dexcom glucose sensor. When my blood sugar rises, the Tandem pump dispenses more insulin. When my blood sugar drops below a safe level, the pump stops delivering insulin. My blood sugar level is stable all day and all night. I now sleep through the night for the first time in my life.

    As for the price of insulin, yes, the retail figure is crazy high. But most people have some kind of insurance that brings it down. My insurance provides 7 bottles of Humalog for $35.

    Don’t have insurance? Well about a year or so ago, both Eli Lilly (Humalog) and Novo Nordisk (Novolog) came out with new policies wherein they will provide a month’s supply of insulin for $35 (no insurance needed). Also, Walmart has been selling Regular and NPH insulin for $25-35 for many years. Did Brooke even do her research on this topic?

    Bottom line is to make good choices and be diligent about self-care. Look for solutions. Ask for help. There is always a way!

  13. Alvinius Alviniathan

    September 15, 2022 at 5:50 pm

    I don’t know why it took congress this LONG to cap insulin prices for Medicare beneficiaries. Such a thing should have been done LONG ago.

  14. Tony Lombardi

    September 15, 2022 at 5:52 pm

    The higher pricing in the US has been offsetting the lower pricing for most of the world for decades. Generic versions can help but the major companies recognized the profit that can be made that they buy the generic companies. Decades ago insurance companies and major pharma hijacked and now control health care. Coverage for seniors can be so complex. Several administrations have explained they will address health care and medication pricing. Still waiting for a solution that works.

  15. ronkirk50

    September 15, 2022 at 6:11 pm

    U.S. medical system greed is literally killing people and letting them die for windfall profits. Until we have Medicare for all like ALL other Western countries this out of control greed will continue. We pay twice as much per capita for health care and have worse health outcomes than any other rich country AND we don’t cover all our citizens. This is a criminal system to benefit just a few obscenely rich people.

  16. LiG BZd

    September 15, 2022 at 6:57 pm

    Just stop eating grain or carb products and only eat veggies and fruits… You can reverse your diabetes in 2-3 months. And then pair your veggies and fruits with small amount of meat thereafter. Diabetes is a modern disease where people simply eat too much!!!

  17. Gaasuba Meskhenet

    September 15, 2022 at 7:07 pm

    Abolish the profit motive
    Abolish money

  18. wiggledy toes

    September 15, 2022 at 9:49 pm

    viacyte or vx-880

  19. Scott Haugen

    September 15, 2022 at 9:50 pm

    You can’t stop eating carbs that’s what fuels your body’s energy I know I have tryed been type 1 for 37 years and it’s no fun

  20. George Wallace

    September 15, 2022 at 10:57 pm

    The drug companies need to be controlled. Just do a price check on biktarvy. It is rough.

  21. jimi cunningable

    September 15, 2022 at 11:19 pm

    Nice outfit Capt Obvious!!!!!!!!

  22. Julia Kraczek

    September 15, 2022 at 11:28 pm

    As an 18-year-old with T1D, I can very much relate to the fear of getting off my parents insurance. It’s terrifying, knowing that I won’t be able to have the future that everyone else does. I’m fortunate enough to be able to go to college, but I don’t have the luxury that so many people my age have to dream of a future where I can do anything. I have to be practical, I have to be realistic, and I have to work hard so I can choose a future where I can afford the millions of dollars that diabetes will cost me. My future is terrifying, my future is expensive, my future is practical, realistic, dreamless. This is why America needs a better, less broken healthcare system. So that people like me and like this speaker and the countless others who have struggled and died don’t have to suffer and die because we cannot afford to stay alive. If life is a basic human right, than surely the things that make it possible to stay alive are also within that right.

    • India 🇮🇳

      September 16, 2022 at 3:16 am

      Hey, Julia
      I read your comment and please don’t worry about anything.. You’ll be alright…The courage to convey your story in the comments is not an easy task after all
      I’m from India tho and if you require any help regarding anything then always feel free to ask
      I’ll be happy to guide you in online as much as possible
      You may find it creep but I’m 18 too

      Take care ❤️
      – From a random friend

    • Tabitha Rice

      September 16, 2022 at 6:30 am

      Jim Rohn said of “America. it’s easy. That’s why everybody is trying to get to America. Mexico is hard. India is hard. North Korea is really hard. America is easy. Don’t wish it were better wish you were better.”

      It may be a challenge indeed but you can overcome it. Make it possible where you don’t have to worry about the cost and then make it happen so you can help others too. You can do that!

  23. Vikram Bakshi

    September 16, 2022 at 1:51 am

    As per Dr biswajeet Roy, diabetes is reversible all you need to stop drugs prescribed by your doctor and stay on DIP diet. You may refer to his YouTube videos

  24. 廖景云JayceeR

    September 16, 2022 at 2:16 am

    MURICA!!

  25. Tabitha Rice

    September 16, 2022 at 3:00 am

    Whole food plant based diet will help. Frosty, frozen bananas cocoa powder plant based milk blend and no skyrocketing blood sugar! It’s actually healthy and delicious and you can get rid of diabetes!

  26. Misti Blu

    September 16, 2022 at 3:07 am

    I am type 2 and I completely feel every word and every notion this young lady is saying.. I ration my insulin every day I pray I do not die! I’m trying but everything cost so much it’s almost impossible to do anything other than survival from day to day😭 I hate it here!

    • 狐夢美

      September 16, 2022 at 5:58 pm

      Type 2 can actually be managed by adopting a ketogenic/carnivore lifestyle. It lessens the symptoms to the point you even feel you’re “cured” but of course, it’s a lifestyle so it’s not something you can just switch off of.

  27. ivon2play

    September 16, 2022 at 3:33 am

    Walmart insulin is about $25 per vial – no prescription needed …  
    Freestyle Libre sensors about $5 per day or less.
    The tools you need to help you control your diabetes are available.

  28. ivon2play

    September 16, 2022 at 3:35 am

    You don’t need a pump. Just eat right, take your readings, pay attention. You can do it.

  29. mdbillal hossain

    September 16, 2022 at 3:38 am

    Good

  30. Mariana Marques

    September 16, 2022 at 4:38 am

    In Brazil we have public, free and universal healthcare system (SUS) and insulin, and a different drugs for many other diseases have zero cost to the population.

  31. Guy Orsini

    September 16, 2022 at 5:54 am

    If it wasn’t for my VA benefits I would be in a real jam paying for my insulin. Those 4 years of my youth would turn out to be the best investment that it would turn out that I ever made.

  32. None of your Damn Business

    September 16, 2022 at 7:48 am

    *Pharmafia!*

  33. Janice Lazarus

    September 16, 2022 at 8:44 am

    Wow.. You brought me to tears.. I hope diabetics like us can live a long and a stress free life.. God bless you dear..

  34. Oddly Me

    September 16, 2022 at 11:31 am

    WHY??? umm price gouging for those dependent on medicine is the American dream, no? I mean, capitalism, the nation’s leading religion. OH MY.

  35. Kongolox

    September 16, 2022 at 1:08 pm

    And why the water is wet??

    -____-

  36. ArtsyMegz_On_Etsy

    September 16, 2022 at 2:08 pm

    Yeah, when I first found out how expensive insulin is for diabetics, I was totally appalled! I never thought that they would make such a vital thing so expensive, and for many years I thought that it was free, and never imagined that someone would have to pay for the right to stay alive. I never would have thought. Whst s greedy and corrupted world we live in right now.

    • Scientific Thinking 101

      September 19, 2022 at 3:22 am

      it’s primarily the US healthcare that’s like that. In Canada up here, it’s regular price.

  37. 狐夢美

    September 16, 2022 at 6:02 pm

    Just like any drug that’s life-saving, the cost is so high because they (insurance companies) know people will pay for it. It makes big bucks amd that’s all they care about. I guarantee any doctor you talk to about this will tell you they wish they could make it cheaper.

  38. hdmat101

    September 16, 2022 at 9:11 pm

    American problem

    • dawg gone vidz

      September 23, 2022 at 1:30 am

      How could it be an American problem? America is perfect. Just ask every American who has never been anywhere else.

  39. Typhoon123

    September 16, 2022 at 10:51 pm

    Social medicine guys.. Im in the UK and my Mother in law is type 1
    ….how much does it cost her? NOTHING! But that’s not even a consideration here. Its just a normal thing. I am horrified by the US system.. Is our system brilliant… No! But you would get your insulin every time you need it for as long as you need it!

  40. Typhoon123

    September 16, 2022 at 11:04 pm

    Beautifully put Brooke. I’m type 2 here and I have psoriasis too. I get what is temporarily an about 6 month cure for it.. It costs the NHS here around 60 dollars per spray tin, In the US its 1000 dollars!… Errrr seriously? Metformin here… Free! Canagliflosin… Free! Insulin… Free! Yes you pay for it in what’s known as national insurance which comes from your pay, but you don’t miss it. You guys are being screwed I’m sorry to say.

    • Typhoon123

      September 16, 2022 at 11:14 pm

      We have something here called Patient Services.. I login tell them the drugs I need.. My GP signs it off without question and within 24 hours I go to my pharmacy and they are there for me.. What kind of country doesnt allow its citizens to have that basic life giving ability??? Crazy!!!

  41. Idela KELLY

    September 16, 2022 at 11:28 pm

    I am so sorry

  42. p

    September 17, 2022 at 6:10 am

    Wow! My heart goes out for you!! ❤️❤️
    Pray and Hope ur voice.makes a difference!!

    Governments cannot allow people to hold back on bare.necessary medicine…

    Is there No Generic medication?

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    September 17, 2022 at 7:59 am

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    • Sai lucky

      September 17, 2022 at 8:35 am

      No doubt…. There are quite a few sincere expert though

  44. 순둥이

    September 17, 2022 at 1:05 pm

    미국의 제약회사들은 엄청난 돈을 벌면서도 절대로 가격을 내리지 않는다. 생명존중의 마음은 업고 오로지 상업적이익만 추구한다. 이것이 자유민주주의 라는 미국의 모습이다.
    American pharmaceutical companies make huge sums of money and never lower their prices. Respect for life and pursue only commercial interests. This is the face of liberal democracy in the United States.

  45. CEEAKI 22nd century

    September 17, 2022 at 4:50 pm

    Agreed

  46. Ken Romero

    September 18, 2022 at 3:55 am

    Heroin addicts know they will be saved in the ER while diabetics struggle with greed of Big Pharma, lobbyists and lawmakers.

  47. Swapnil Wankhede

    September 18, 2022 at 4:37 am

    Thanks for uploading useful information

  48. Berlin Du

    September 18, 2022 at 9:00 am

    Try insulin from Canada or Mexico, they should be cheaper.

  49. Charlene Gandy

    September 19, 2022 at 12:07 am

    I’m 59 and I have typex1 diabetes, I had found out I had it doing the time my mother had passed. But anyway at one point I didn’t have to pay for my insulin I had good health insurance at the time. But once my husband had left one job to go to another which messed up everything for the both of us. Now the insurance I get gives me a very hard time to get it and I’m so afraid, my husband left a good job and didn’t think about me. Now I’m praying for my own health care with very little help from him he say he doesn’t care what happens to me. If I die I just die but I’m so thankful and grateful for my family and God. I pray that some day us who have type one diabetes will get the help we need. My prayers and blessings go’s out to all of us 😔🙏❤️🌈🥰💞🦋💗😇😌

  50. Scientific Thinking 101

    September 19, 2022 at 3:23 am

    blame the republicans for poor healthcare in the US

  51. Saiige

    September 20, 2022 at 1:18 am

    Not gonna lie here. I honestly don’t really care much for ted talks,
    But I LOVE just hearing their voices

  52. Robert Frye

    September 20, 2022 at 5:11 pm

    Joe Biden took the monetary cap off Insulin that Trump put on it. Let’s Go Brandon.

  53. Virgo Bro

    September 20, 2022 at 11:23 pm

    Nothing will be done.

  54. Saeed Bashir

    September 21, 2022 at 5:20 pm

    GOOD INFORMATION ABOUT INSULINS COST,
    I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST INTER IN MY COUNTRY INDIA , MEET ONE NATUROPATHY TREATMENT WITH OUT ALLOPATHIC COSTLY MEDICINES,

  55. Adnan Dhanny

    September 22, 2022 at 10:32 pm

    In this video tells the experience of a type 1 diabetic named Brooke Bennett who feels worried about getting a bottle of insulin every month and for the rest of her life. For people with type 1 diabetes, each month they need 3-6 bottles of insulin, with a price per bottle of 250-300 dollars. For people who have a good economic standard, this is not a big problem. However, for people who have a poor economic standard, it is a big disaster. In Brooke Bennett State, insulin up to 26 is covered by insurance. However, after the age of 26, insulin is not included in the insurance. Due to the high cost of purchasing insulin and CGM, many patients do not give insulin/regulate insulin intake even though their blood sugar levels are very high. In this video, Brooke Bennett tells that there are 14 people with type 1 diabetes who died from experiencing KDA. From this video, I can understand that the insurance and health system in each country is different and has its own advantages. I hope the government can focus more on helping and dealing with the high price of a bottle of insulin, and insurance policies over 26 years do not cover insulin.

  56. dawg gone vidz

    September 23, 2022 at 1:34 am

    This is one of those America problems. Insulin isn’t expensive, the for-profit private insurance company cut on top of the price of YOUR insulin is expensive. Insulin in NORMAL countries (ie all the other first world nations) isn’t very expensive at all. And in most countries, it’s free. No wonder you sound like you’re about to cry every time you open your mouth.

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