Pointing to no agreement with Republicans on an insulin assistance program after many months of negotiations, Minnesota House Democrats moved ahead the first day of session with a bill to put a fee on insulin manufacturers. Nicole Smith-Holt, whose son Alec died because he couldn’t afford insulin, told lawmakers, “His chair still sits vacant at our dining room table, as a reminder of why we are still here fighting.”
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka responds Republicans propose insulin manufacturers provide a 30-day supply for those who can’t afford it. Gazelka says it “can’t be this grand program that moves us towards socialized medicine in some form…. I don’t think it should be punitive against the pharmaceutical industry.”
Democrats’ goal is to pass their bill off the House floor early this session in hopes of breaking the stalemate with Republicans.