Last August, I found myself in a hospital bed with a blood sugar of 550. Within five minutes of the doctor’s visit to my room, I was told I had Type 1 diabetes and that my first insulin infusion would begin when the nurse arrived. I was not told, “Here are your options” or “Let’s explore alternatives.” I was told, “You need insulin to survive.”
At the time, I was living at home in Boulder, Colorado. The first time I picked up my insulin from the pharmacy, the total rang up to $0 on account of my health insurance. I moved to Utah for school two weeks later, with my 100%-covered insulin in the cooler in the back of my car.
A few weeks later, I went to the pharmacy in Salt Lake City. I looked down to see $100 on the checkout machine and the pharmacist saying, “I am so sorry, that is ridiculous.” It was at that moment I learned, as an out-of-state college student, I was not covered by HB207.
My future suddenly became intimidating.
Out-of-state students aren’t covered. People who just moved here, waiting for residency, aren’t covered. We cannot sit and wait. We need to be covered now.
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In April 2020, then-governor Gary Herbert signed Utah HB207, capping monthly insulin co-payments at $30 for a 30-day supply. The caveat: this law only applies to 22.7% of Utahns—those who have a health benefit plan, also known as a state-regulated plan—leaving behind more than 77% of Type 1 diabetics.
Of those left behind:
– 27.8% are covered by government-sponsored plans
– 41.4% by employer-sponsored self-funded plans
– 8.1% are uninsured
This exclusion fails many Type 1 diabetics who already carry the mental burden of the disease, paying for essential medication.
“The diabetes community in Utah has won a major victory now that House Bill 207 has been approved,” Rep. Norman Thurston said at the time. The new law is supposed to ensure every Type 1 diabetic leaves the pharmacy with insulin.
While 22.7% of Utahns with Type 1 diabetes will never have to leave the pharmacy without insulin, 77.3% might be forced to.
Pharmacists are watching Type 1 diabetics spend as much money for a 30-day supply of insulin as they spend on weekly groceries, phone bills, or large chunks of their car and rent payments.
In an article by University of Utah Health, Christopher Hansen, an outpatient pharmacy manager with Utah Health, said, “You have a lot of patients who make the choice, ‘If I can’t afford it, I will just go without it.’” This can become a life-or-death situation.
Type 1 diabetics should not have to choose between basic necessities. If death is a very possible result of the inability to afford insulin, new and improved laws are indispensable.
While the Utah Insulin Savings Program provides assistance to Utahns who are not covered by HB207, gaps remain.
In America, 28 states have passed laws implementing insulin co-pay caps. Some states have made more progress by passing laws for those underinsured or uninsured.
While all of these progressions provide slivers of hope for Type 1 diabetics, people are still disregarded. I am one of thousands of patients who aren’t covered by Utah’s insulin co-pay cap.
To ensure no Type 1 diabetic is left behind, Congress must pass a nationwide insulin co-pay cap now that protects all patients, not just those with state-regulated insurance.
I urge you, as the reader, to reach out to your state representatives and members of Congress to demand a nationwide insulin co-pay cap that reaches everyone.
No pharmacist should have to say, “I am so sorry, that is ridiculous.” No Type 1 diabetic should be left out of state laws. No Type 1 diabetic should be left behind.
Insulin became my lifeline one year ago. We should be able to rely on insulin co-pay caps no matter our circumstance.
We cannot sit and wait.
*Addison Burnsed is a junior at the University of Utah pursuing a degree in psychology and is passionate about amplifying community voices through journalism.*
https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2025/12/01/voices-utahns-with-type-1-diabetes/