Woman's Outrage After Being Charged $675 for Insulin Prescription

A diabetic woman who was charged $675 for her latest medical prescription has told Newsweek that she fears the day she can no longer afford the insulin she relies on to survive.

Living with type 1 diabetes for the rest of her life is a daunting prospect for Allie Goecke-Butler, 27, who was diagnosed in 2021. It isn't just the physical or emotional toll of the condition that she fears, but also the financial burden. She spends $688 a month on health insurance, and then has to pay for extra items required to help manage it, costing a total of $922 a month.

Goecke-Butler, of Temecula, California, told Newsweek that she was "panicked and overwhelmed" when she found out her latest three-month prescription would cost $675. She began shaking and contacted her insurance company, Kaiser International Healthgroup, who told her she was responsible for the cost.

More From Newsweek Vault: Online Banks vs. Traditional Banks: Learn the Differences

Newsweek contacted Kaiser International Healthgroup, which declined to comment.

Goecke-Butler said: "Kaiser won't cover prescriptions from outside pharmacies, so I knew I'd have to pay. I drove to the pharmacy and I was already anxious because I thought it would be $225, and that was already out of my price range as I'd spent $300 on my Dexcom [glucose monitor] the day before.

"All the breath left my body when I saw $675 on the screen at the Kaiser pharmacy. I thought it had to be a mistake, so I had them rescan it. I asked why it was so expensive, and the pharmacy technician said my insurance only covers a portion of it. I felt my body starting to shake and a heavy weight on my chest that made it hard to breathe. I was having a panic attack, and I had to get out of there."

More From Newsweek Vault: What Is a Health Savings Account?

She charged the $675 to her credit card in the end, as going home without her insulin supply "wasn't even a choice."

Goecke-Butler and her husband recently changed their health insurance plan, without realizing that their previous policy came under Covered California. This is a statewide policy that allows eligible individuals to pay for private health insurance at a federally subsidized rate. When Goecke-Butler switched to a higher-tiered Kaiser policy, she wasn't aware that she was no longer eligible for Covered California and her deductibles were also higher.

More From Newsweek Vault: Rates Are Still High for These High-Yield Savings Accounts

She continued: "Under the Covered California employer-provided plan, there are no prescription deductibles for medications. So, the flat cost for my Omnipod was $225 for three months. Under the new plan, we have to meet a prescription deductible of $450, but generic medications and devices don't count toward this. So the $300 I was spending on my Dexcom every three months never counted.

"When I picked up my Omnipod, I had to cover the $450 deductible but also pay the additional $225 for the three-month supply of my Omnipods, bringing the total to $675."

The Rising Cost of Insulin

According to the American Diabetes Association, 38.4 million Americans were living with diabetes in 2021, and of those people, 2 million had type 1 diabetes.

The cost of living with diabetes is no secret, as the health care costs for those with the condition are 2.6 times greater than those without. A report from the American Diabetes Association in 2023 revealed that the cost of insulin and other medications to help manage blood glucose increased by 26 percent between 2017 and 2022.

Indeed, the total annual cost of diabetes in 2022 was $412.9 billion, meaning people diagnosed with diabetes accounted for one in every four dollars spent on health care in the U.S.

When Goecke-Butler thinks about her future, she can't help but feel defeated, telling Newsweek that she doesn't know if things will ever get easier. She doesn't choose to have diabetes, and yet, her insulin is becoming a luxury she can no longer afford.

"I am scared because staying alive is becoming more and more expensive," she continued. "I want a future where I can afford to have kids and a comfortable life. My husband and I have done everything right. We work good jobs, bought a house, put money in savings, watch our spending, and yet we are still struggling to afford health care.

"I worry about not being able to afford my mortgage or about having a child who is diabetic because I don't ever want them to cry because they can't afford the medication they need to survive."

The Social Media Response

Goecke-Butler often documents her experiences on social media (@loveal_co on TikTok) to show the realities of living with diabetes. After learning that her prescription would cost $675, she posted a video of herself crying outside the pharmacy, saying she doesn't know how she's "supposed to afford to live" like this.

The video quickly gained attention, amassing over 821,700 views and more than 38,400 likes on TikTok at the time of writing. She has been amazed by the outpouring of support she's received online.

"Nothing is going to change unless we get angry and speak up," Goecke-Butler said. "I want others to know that this is the reality not only for me but for millions of others. We need to start looking out for each other and fighting for future generations, so they never have to decide between paying for health care or food."

The viral TikTok video has received over 9,500 comments so far, as many praised Goecke-Butler for sharing this reality.

One comment read: "This is why we need better, more affordable health care."

Another person responded: "This is so sad. I'm so so sorry."

While another TikToker added: "That is tragic, I am so sorry this is happening to you."

Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

Update 11/01/24, 4:39 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.