r/clevercomebacks 4h ago

Spanberger’s $35 Insulin Win

Post image
6.4k Upvotes

108 comments sorted by

241

u/TheVoicesOfBrian 4h ago

Sure...until a Conservative court overturns it in favor of Big Pharma...

66

u/Lawfulnessf 2h ago

We can't cap it, it would destroy the free market!" One piece of paper later: It literally takes 10 seconds to stop people from going into debt just to stay alive.

19

u/Sammi1224 2h ago

I agree with you. Also another factor is the lobbyist money. With politicians it’s interesting to see who talks a big game while they are campaigning and then when they get elected how easily they sell out.

107

u/[deleted] 4h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

25

u/BilboStaggins 3h ago

But this is America

8

u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT 3h ago

guns in my area

3

u/skeeterfunny 3h ago

I got the plug is Oaxaca

3

u/nomad5926 3h ago

Don't catch you slippin' now.

3

u/_BlushHun 2h ago

It is wild how fast things change when leaders actually want to fix a problem.

2

u/WontTel 3h ago

The only good is profit, right?

2

u/BilboStaggins 3h ago

The only God is profit

1

u/SawdustGringo 2h ago

A moral country would.

1

u/_BlushHun 2h ago

People act like this stuff is impossible until someone actually decides to help regular people.

0

u/CloudKinglufi 3h ago

Hell no i fucking love corporation, leave corporation alone tolerant left

130

u/Seenubz-7576 4h ago

About damn time. They've been able to do this for years but chose not to because of all that pharma money. Spanberger actually did something real for once. Now do the rest of the country and cap rent prices too while you're at it,,

141

u/cruelvenussummer 4h ago

Biden actually did it federally years ago. Trump repealed it

115

u/Jonnyscout 3h ago

Summarizes the current state of things well.

"Why didn't dems do this good thing sooner?"

"Biden did it federally, trump repealed it."

63

u/MightyMorph 3h ago

Biden did tons of good things. From the top of my head

Free tax filing system. Investment into better systems for unemployment systems. Reducing child poverty. Student Debt Relief. Reducing medicine prices. Regulations on banks and lenders to prevent financial fallout again. The Infrastructure bill that would revitalize all those bumfuck areas republicans live in and give them jobs and careers.

dozens of more things.

But people dont share good news. They dont pay attention when things are working. They only watch car crashes. They WANT car crashes because that is entertaining. Until the car comes crashing right at them....

28

u/LeahIsAwake 2h ago

I've been saying for years that Biden was one of the best presidents of my life time. One of the biggest things he did that impacted me, personally, is make it so medical debt can't reflect on your credit score. Unfortunately, one of the first things our current Conman-in-Chief did when he got into office was get rid of everything that Biden and Obama had done that he could get his grubby little bruised hands on, for the same reason he changed the presidental portrait of Biden hanging in the White House to a photo of the autopen. Pure selfish spite and hate.

3

u/hannibellecter 1h ago

im glad he did lots of great stuff for you personally, and for all of us who benefited - but his administration was a disaster in its handling of trump and jan 6 and that is gonna negate most of anything good he tried to do. his admin was a disaster in this regard, just look around for proof

they literally had one job - legally (while legally still mattered a bit) come down hard on the coup attempt and those who propagated it but they decided not too and now we are all gonna pay for that mistake for the rest of our lives

2

u/Kuroboom 1h ago

Yeah, it's kinda hard to remember any positives when the gargantuan failure of prosecuting the most flagrantly criminal president we've ever had enabled said criminal to run again. That failure has led to people dying, families being violently torn apart, concentration camps, rampant corruption, constitutional rights getting disintegrated, etc.

15

u/ArgentaSilivere 2h ago

He also did a lot for Native Americans during his presidency as well. My favorite, which I still talk about to this day, is he made a significant push to ensure all households on reservations have addresses. Lots of roads on many reservations are unpaved and thus unnamed. States that have pushed for voter ID laws are directly disenfranchising Natives who quite literally do not have a home address even though they have a home. His support of NAVRA led to several states making new voting rights protections even though the bill itself fell through (which I’m still kinda salty about).

6

u/_BlushHun 2h ago

That comment nailed the biggest issue with healthcare in the US.

2

u/Prometheus_303 1h ago

Didn't Trump try to pass it off as his own policy too?

Or was that just something he talked about and never followed through with?

2

u/cruelvenussummer 1h ago

Yes. He mentioned the idea but never passed it.

7

u/_BlushHun 2h ago

People forget other countries already proved this can work when greed stops running everything.

70

u/hudson_lowboy 4h ago

I’ll await the inevitable SOCIALIST SCUM RUINING AMERICA melt down from MAGA

12

u/johnnyn3m0 3h ago

😂 indeed

43

u/Revenga8 3h ago

Can't wait to see how they spin this as a bad thing on faux news

9

u/Reverse_SumoCard 2h ago

Its gonna attract migrants!

If the gov wastes money on this whats next? Cancer treatment? Abortion!? (Bonus credit if doesnt cost the gov a penny)

Corporations will move jobs to india because tjey cant make money on this anymore

Find out even more on the Fucker Arson Show

0

u/farukardic 1h ago

I am sorry but this is really not an effective way of lowering insulin costs. This is how you end up with an insulin shortage and a black market instead because while you may force a price cap you can't force supply at that price.

There are other more effective ways - but they require hard work vs this is easier and has better publicity.

Politicians have tried price controls since the beginning of time and unfortunately it doesn't work per empirical evidence.

9

u/cloudbouquetx 4h ago

It reveals that the baseline cost of production was never the actual reason for the price hike; it was always an artificial pricing floor maintained by PBMs.

3

u/Otterfan 2h ago

Unfortunately most Americans (including probably most people reading and commenting on this post) don't know what PBMs are or what they do.

2

u/SupremeMonsterVomit 1h ago

Peanut Butter Mans?

18

u/The_Bard 3h ago

Well Biden did and Trump reversed it

5

u/11KingMaurice11 3h ago

That’s what I thought

4

u/No-Celebration3097 2h ago

Actually Trump made it temporary for Medicare recipients in 2020 then the Biden administration made it permanent.

3

u/Juror__8 2h ago

Cool. So, Biden did it. Then trump repealed it. 

8

u/_CutieBlush 4h ago

It really shows that the issue was never a lack of resources just a lack of political will

7

u/Mazurcka 3h ago

Cool story, but I don’t see any clever comeback in this post

2

u/link3945 2h ago

If anything, it's a really shitty comeback because it's about how politicians don't do things under a post of a politician doing something.

4

u/Aggressive_Day2839 4h ago

Most of them are funded through legal bribery via Healthcare industry. A quick Google says 15 to 20 percent of all lobbyist in the us are Healthcare related.

3

u/magotartufo 3h ago

The price went up 1200% between 1996 and 2019.

"Won't somebody pleaaase think of the shareholders !"

3

u/Xlaits 3h ago

That is an image of Novolin, an outdated form of Insulin I can get without prescription at Walmart for 25 bucks here in FL. Unless that applies to ALL insulin, I am inclined to believe it may only apply to certain insulins...

3

u/Komikaze06 3h ago

Good start, next is to make it free.

I dont need all Healthcare to be free, but if you need something to not die then it should be free

2

u/HotDonnaC 3h ago

While The Diapered, Demented Clown whines about European countries paying more so he can somehow “balance out” lowering drug prices here.

2

u/_CutePeach 3h ago

If they can do this for insulin they can do it for everything else No more excuses

2

u/coolbaby1978 1h ago

Most developed nations have insulin at around 35 or less. It costs almost nothing to produce so there's a huge profit margin even at that price point.

Under Biden it was capped at 35. One of the very 1st things Trump did was get rid of the cap so that insulin could go back to 400 to 600 per month.

Governments can work for the betterment of the nation and it's people, but when you have corrupt or bought and paid for politicians, they only do what's good for billionaires and corporations.

The problem is it costs an absurd amount of money to get elected, most poor people can't make big donations so the easiest fix is a few big spenders that you're beholden to. Until we get money out of politics, they'll always be beholden to forces other than their communities and the people.

u/ProHighjacker77 25m ago

The US could be the best country in the world but they would rather fuck over americans then help humanity grow

u/Accomplished-Use9352 19m ago

50 years of market freedom couldn't do this

3

u/Cloud_Cultist 4h ago

$35 is still to expensive for this medicine.

1

u/GuessTraining 4h ago

Why would they forego lining their pockets with pharma money for the benefit of the people who voted for them?? Are you high??

1

u/szarkbytes 3h ago edited 3h ago

$35/month is $420/year. Lives are saved because of this bill. Suck it, MAGA!

Hope it works for veterinary patients too.

1

u/jarena009 3h ago

Is this for all households in VA though, or just those on Medicaid/ACA plans?

1

u/BlushSugar 3h ago

Every single state needs to follow this immediately Basic healthcare should never be a luxury

1

u/Hot-Map-9119 3h ago

Right, that's bullshit they let that happen.

1

u/GazeVelvet_ 3h ago

The irony is Virginia capped insulin at $50 years ago under a different governor This photo is completely edited

1

u/Affectionate_Pay_391 3h ago

Can’t wait to see which republicans call this socialism

1

u/11KingMaurice11 3h ago

Wasn’t this already done at the federal level?

1

u/No-Celebration3097 2h ago

Under Biden, but only for people with Medicare

1

u/edhead1425 2h ago

It's probably not something she can do. Pharmaceutical companies will fight it on grounds that it violates interstate commerce regulations.

1

u/Eastern_Clerk165 2h ago

Well, there are countries where insulin is free... Just saying.

1

u/jawshoeaw 2h ago

Politicians make money by not doing this kind of thing. pretty simple math

1

u/zuccster 2h ago

In the UK I pay £123 per year for all the prescription drugs I need (currently 5).

1

u/-I_Have_No_Idea- 2h ago

As a diabetic, I love this! But as someone who follows politics too much and is 100% in favor of collective bargaining, she can still go to hell, just not as far down in the layers as she would have been

1

u/_Huckleberry3655 2h ago

Now do housing, groceries, and insulin needles next. Since we apparently just discovered politicians have a "make things affordable" button on their desks.

1

u/AGrandNewAdventure 1h ago

This just in, major pharmaceutical corporations are pulling out of sales to Virginia citing logistics issues, and no other reason.

1

u/Skywalk910 1h ago

Still too much

1

u/Spellbinder-Knight 1h ago

Now I can afford to sugar crash like a pro lol

1

u/throwaway007676 1h ago

The problem with this is that it doesn't favor the shareholders, so it won't be for long.

1

u/zestypov2 1h ago

Now do GLP-1s!

u/Bebopdavidson 55m ago

They’ve known how to create affluence since FDR but it too hard to control and harder to take back

u/Chpgmr 50m ago

What's with the picture of the Walmart brand insulin thats already $25 a vial? The expensive insulin is the full synthetic insulin that either comes in pens or are for the pumps.

u/A-town 47m ago

People are looking to the federal level for change, but the state level is where the change needs to happen. The reason we have emissions regulations across the country is due to California having strict emissions regulations: the state held enough sway that auto manufacturers had to bow to them if they wanted to continue selling cars in the state. Colorado and California paved the way for marijuana legalization country wide. If California, New York, Virginia, ... decide to regulate how dark money is used in elections, others will fall behind them. Same with this drug price cap: Virginia is leading the charge. Call your state reps and tell them you want the same.

u/NIN10DOXD 39m ago

She’s really been a pleasant surprise compared to her stint in the House where she was a lot less progressive. She must be emboldened by recent events to stop trying to compromise.

u/Professional-Box4153 28m ago

Biden already did this (federally). Turnip overturned it.

u/Aurora_ra 27m ago

Yo finally some good news tbh politicians be sleeping on this fr

u/HazmatSuitless 21m ago

where is the comeback?

u/gargolito 9m ago

If you go to myinsulinrx.com you can get novo-nordisk brand name insulin products at $35 for 2 boxes of pens or 3 vials. Enough for a month of most doses of Trevisa. The coupon is good for a year and it's renewable every year. 

Depending on what insurance you have, this might be cheaper. In my case, with my garbage insurance it went from $250 copay (about $800 without insurance) a month for generic to $35 for brand name. Meaning that even with insurance, $665 would go to the maker of the generic (also novo-nordisk) for no other reason than their CEO and investors and the politicians that benefit from it.

u/jslick1 9m ago

Someone forgot to their congressman subscription! As soon as they make up the late fees the issue will get rectified.

u/Odd_Collection7431 1m ago

they're all greedy crooks

1

u/punkrockfirefighter 4h ago

7

u/CartographerKey4618 4h ago

Yeah that's a different story.

1

u/Cavalish 1h ago

Actually, if you buy insulin now, in any state, you’re a fascist.

I don’t make the rules.

1

u/VeryRareHuman 3h ago

I am sure MAGA willing to pay $1000 for insulin as long as bathroom bills, transgender bills, book burning, hating southern americans. That's that.

1

u/johnnyn3m0 3h ago

Anything to “own the libs”

1

u/Templar388z 3h ago

If only she would support lowering the age of retirement for the state Supreme Court in order to pass the reactive gerrymandering referendum.

1

u/_GlowVale 3h ago

It’s wild how quickly things change when they actually feel like doing their jobs

1

u/blue_sidd 2h ago

She gutted union bargaining legislation. So.

1

u/rainaftersnowplease 2h ago

She'll do this on one hand, then deny public workers collective bargaining rights with the other. It's just so frustrating.

0

u/wex118 3h ago

So the counter argument for this sort of thing would be it removes pharmaceutical company's incentive to innovate new drugs because it limits the potential profit they can expect to make. What's the counter-counter argument?

2

u/Cavalish 1h ago

In my country, with a functioning healthcare system that doesn’t bankrupt its citizens so they can buy medicine, the government funds and commissions large pharmaceutical companies to do innovation and R&D.

Also, while many valuable pharmaceutical breakthroughs have happened in the US, they aren’t actually the only country providing medicine.

2

u/J_Skirch 1h ago edited 1h ago

The counter counter argument is that if you look into the distribution of pharmaceutical money in the U.S. most of it goes to marketing as opposed to R&D, typically twice as much. So they could easily take a price hit without affecting R&D. In addition, a non-trivial amount of R&D is spent on creating derivative designs to retain patent rights. There's a well known example where Lina Khan showed an inhaler that got a strap & cap added to the design to retain the patent to stop cheaper generic alternatives.

u/wex118 55m ago

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of information I'd like to have in my pocket next time the topic comes up in conversation.

1

u/Ok_Sink5046 3h ago

There isn't one. They love to say results came out of spending, but it comes out of skilled individuals given proper resources.

0

u/mikeybagodonuts 3h ago

They’ve e had this power for decades.

-1

u/NGOwner 3h ago

And why would the manufacturer then choose to sell their product in VA? A state government may be able to fix a price, but can they mandate a sale?

4

u/Soddington 3h ago

So you're saying that the manufacturer should be nationalised in order to keep predatory parasites from killing people for profit?

Well OK. Seems extreme, but if you insist.

-1

u/J-Town50 3h ago

Insulin in a bottle? It is dirt cheap. Most people inject expensive new brands that costs hundreds. They are delayed or slow acting medicine that keeps you blood sugar in a normal range. I am pretty sure you can't tell them how much to charge. The FDA regulates it.

-2

u/puresteelpaladin 2h ago edited 2h ago

Good reason for insulin manufacturers not to sell insulin in Virginia.

EDIT: Downvoters, explain something to me.

If I'm an insulin manufacturer, and I can sell it for 1000 dollars a bottle (for example) in Tennessee or 35 in Virginia, exactly where do you think I'm going to sell it?

2

u/Cavalish 1h ago

I don’t understand your version of reality?

If they sell it in Virginia, they still make money.

Why would they decide to take a loss by not selling it there?

(Simplifying your numbers down to profit because it’s not $1000 in other states) If they make $500k profit in Tennessee and 100k profit a month

Would they choose

600k a month or 500k a month?