Bipartisan lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the INSULIN Act on Thursday, September 3, 2026, aiming to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month for individuals with private health insurance. The bill was sponsored by Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), and Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.). This legislation follows similar efforts in the Senate and previously enacted caps for Medicare beneficiaries.
The proposal comes as lawmakers seek to address healthcare affordability ahead of the midterm elections. While a $35 monthly cap for Medicare recipients was included in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, efforts to extend similar protections to the private market have previously faced resistance in Congress. Opponents have cited concerns regarding government price-setting and the potential cost of the legislation.
Beyond the $35 price cap, the House bill would prohibit health plans from applying deductibles to select insulin products. It also includes provisions to expedite the development and review of biosimilar insulin and proposes a hotline and resource center to assist uninsured individuals in obtaining the drug. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 8.1 million Americans use insulin, including 2 million with Type 1 diabetes who require it for survival.
The legislation affects individuals who rely on insulin to manage diabetes. For those covered by private health insurance, out-of-pocket costs vary. While some pay little, others report monthly expenses of several hundred dollars for the medication, in addition to costs for pumps and sensors. Under this bill, these individuals would see their monthly insulin bill limited to $35, a change that supporters say would prevent patients from rationing or skipping doses due to financial strain.
Approximately 57% of Americans with private insurance are enrolled in self-insured plans, which are generally exempt from the insulin co-pay caps already passed by more than half of U.S. states. This federal legislation would set a national standard. Pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk have previously implemented voluntary price reductions, but advocates note that navigation of these programs remains a burden for many patients.
The bill's introduction in the House follows the advancement of a companion bill in the Senate Health Committee earlier this summer. That version, backed by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and John Kennedy (R-La.), has 28 bipartisan co-sponsors. With the House scheduled to be in session for only one more week before the midterms, supporters suggest the most likely path for the bill is inclusion in a year-end spending package during the lame-duck session. If passed, it would regulate private insurance drug costs, though the specific effective date for these changes was not reported.