Cynthia Rice Discusses JDRF's Progress in Making Automated Insulin Delivery More Available

While JDRF has made a lot of progress, the group will not stop working until everyone has access to automated insulin delivery, said Cynthia Rice, JDRF chief mission strategy officer. JDRF is advocating for an affordable insulin provision in the proposed Build Back Better act.

Transcript:

In general, how accessible is automated insulin delivery technology for people with type 1 diabetes? What needs to be done?

JDRF and our volunteers across the country have been advocating for access to technology and insulin for a long time, and we've made a lot of progress. There's still more to do, but in terms of technology, artificial pancreas systems—including continuous glucose monitors—are well-covered by private health plans and by Medicare. There are some additional barriers that we're working to knock down to make sure that they're available to everyone as we, of course, keep fighting for affordable insulin, which we're making progress in some areas like the new legislation that we're talking about that would make insulin much more affordable in Medicare and commercial plans. But there's more to do there, too, for people who are uninsured and don't have access to those plans. We've made a lot of progress. Most private plans and Medicare cover technologies, Medicare and now commercial systems—if this is enacted—will have much lower out-of-pocket insulin costs, but we're going to continue to fight until everyone has access.