A Virginia teen lobbied the President for lower insulin costs. Now, he’s focused on lawmakers
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - 14-year-old Type 1 diabetic, Joshua Davis, believes all Americans should benefit from lower insulin costs. That’s why he continues to lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill to expand the $35 cap to everyone.
Currently, the cap is only granted to seniors under the Inflation Reduction Act. President Joe Biden wants lawmakers to change that. On Wednesday in Nevada, the President urged Republican lawmakers and pharmaceutical companies to support an expanded cost cap.
“It’s very important because some people have to choose between paying bills or buying insulin and personally in my opinion I don’t think that’s fair to them,” said Davis.
Learn more about the President’s speech in Nevada here
Davis gained national notoriety for his advocacy work when President Joe Biden invited him to the 2022 State of the Union Address. Since then, Davis has continued to lobby for change by speaking to lawmakers.
Hear from Davis when he attended the 2002 State of the Union Address here
“I’m meeting with new members of Congress to talk to them about Type 1 diabetes and the importance of people with that Type 1 diabetes to have insulin and I think that is helping,” he said.
This week, the Biden administration applauded Novo Nordisk and Eli Lily after the companies promised to cut the price of insulin. But some pharmaceutical companies report drug makers aren’t to blame for driving insulin prices higher. They say rising supply chain costs are at the root of the pricing problem.
“So oftentimes the insurance companies, the pharmacy benefit managers that they own are taking over half of the dollars. We would love to see more action by Congress and the president to get at that problem,” said Lori Reilly, COO, PhRMA.
Next week, Joshua Davis’ mom, Shannon, plans to travel to in Washington D.C. to meet with lawmakers to discuss a $35 insulin cap for all Americans. She’s taking part in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s ‘government day.’
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