Insulin Costs and Use by Medicare Beneficiaries After the Inflation Reduction Act Out-of-Pocket Cap
Main finding · Out-of-pocket cost per 30-day insulin supply (average)Result — go to the resultDifference −4.79 $ 95% CI -$4.84 to -$4.74Authors' conclusion
The Medicare $35 insulin out-of-pocket cap decreased and stabilized insulin out-of-pocket cost, increasing insulin use for people with previously high out-of-pocket cost.
Study context
- Population
- Insulin users with Medicare Part D insurance, US, January 2021 through December 2023; mean age 70.7 years, 52% female
- Participants
- 2,860,394 insulin users
- Comparison
- After the $35 out-of-pocket insulin cap vs before the cap
- Outcome
- Out-of-pocket cost per 30-day insulin supply (average and within-year range), 30-day insulin fills, adherence (proportion of days covered with basal insulin) and persistence (no days without basal insulin)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Out-of-pocket cost per 30-day insulin supply (average)
Difference
−4.79 $
95% CI -$4.84 to -$4.74
By group
After the policy
$18.16
Before the policy
$22.95
Further findings
| Outcome | After the policy | Before the policy | Difference ($) (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Within-year range of out-of-pocket cost per 30-day insulin supplyRelative reduction, 48% | $11.77 | $22.73 | −10.96 (-$11.07 to -$10.84) |
Insulin fills, adherence and persistence to basal insulin, full cohort
- Insulin fills, adherence, and persistence to basal insulin did not increase for the full cohort
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Insulin Costs and Use by Medicare Beneficiaries After the Inflation Reduction Act Out-of-Pocket Cap. JAMA. Published 7 July 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →