MACON, Ga. — A Georgia senator continues to advocate for affordable healthcare.
Sen. Raphael Warnock wants to expand a cap on insulin costs, first approved by Congress last year.
Since he pushed for the bill that capped the cost of insulin for Medicare enrollees at a monthly payment of $35, Warnock is now trying to expand that legislation to everyone who lives with diabetes in the country.
The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by Republican Sen. John Kennedy from Louisiana.
"It's a life-saving medication, and we need to figure out how to help these families," Pediatric Endocrinologist Dr. Jessica Hutchins said.
Hutchins sees around seven to eight children a day at Atrium Health Navicent.
"Kids, particularly with diabetes, they didn't do anything to cause this," Hutchins said. "This wasn't from lifestyle choices. This is an autoimmune disorder that they'll have for the rest of their lives."
Hutchins says her patients' insurance plans range from public to private.
Most of them are type 1 diabetics, which is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases.
"Type 2 diabetes can be diagnosed in kids, also," Hutchins continued. "Especially since COVID and the rise of obesity in children, we've seen more kids with type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, a lot of our kids with type 2 diabetes also are insulin-dependent, similar to our type 1 diabetic patients."
Bessie Williams has lived in Warner Robins since 2002. She says she has lived with diabetes since she was 18.
As a result of living with the disease for a few decades, Williams says she developed other health conditions over the years, like kidney disease and high blood pressure.
Hutchins says her patients can live with lifelong conditions, too.
If they don't get the insulin they need to live, the consequences are real.
"They can get very sick," she said. "They can experience something called diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, which can cause emissions into our pediatric ICU, and require long hospital stays, and can have very severe complications — immediately and long-term without controlling their diabetes."
She thinks if Warnock's bill is passed, her patients might get the help they need.
"It is so important that insulin is available," Dr. Hutchins said. "No patient, parent or child should have to ration insulin, or choose to have insulin over having money for food or for bill."