April 3, 2019
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is a body of 67,000 pediatricians whose mission is to “attain optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.”
As a step towards this goal, on March 16, AAP leaders at the organization’s Annual Leadership Forum resolved to advocate for policies that promote affordable access to insulin for all pediatric patients with diabetes. The Annual Leadership Forum brings together AAP leaders from across the country to debate and vote on proposed policies for the coming year.
Out of 60+ policies proposed at the meeting, insulin affordability was chosen as a top 10 priority in 2019. All policies, also known as resolutions, passed at the Annual Leadership Forum are non-binding but are advisory to the AAP Board of Directors. The top 10 chosen resolutions must be addressed in a concrete way by the AAP Board of Directors within one year.
The insulin affordability resolution was authored by two pediatric endocrinology physicians at the University of Florida, Dr. Brittany Bruggeman and Dr. Janet Silverstein.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
TITLE: Affordable Insulin Access for All Children with Diabetes
Whereas, type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood and affects 1 in 300 children in the United States, and
Whereas, families of children with diabetes spend more than three times as much on healthcare than those without diabetes and 24% say that the cost of medications and devices is their number one barrier to good blood sugar control, and
Whereas, between 2002-2013 the price of analogue insulin tripled and has been increasing at a rate far above medical inflation for the last five years without any change in formulation, and
Whereas, one in four people with diabetes admit to rationing insulin because of its cost which can lead to dangerous outcomes such as diabetic ketoacidosis, therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Academy advocate for policies that promote affordable access to analogue insulin for all pediatric patients with diabetes.
For more information, see the AAP news release.