When insulin was discovered in 1923, the scientists sold the patent for only a dollar, hoping to make it accessible to those who need it. At the time, one of the discoverers said, “Insulin is for the world.” Fast-forward over 100 years, and some diabetics are rationing the lifesaving drug because the price is so high. Why does insulin cost so much, and what does that cost tell us about the American health care system? Host Jonquilyn Hill talks with Vox Senior Correspondent Dylan Scott about the price of insulin and the steps some states are taking to bring it down.
References:
Insulin is way too expensive. California has a solution: Make its own.
Host:
Jonquilyn Hill
Credits:
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Most Dangerous Branch: A well-regulated militia
Immigration, democracy, and the rise of the Western far right
The scourge of the “time tax”
Ukraine and the global food supply crisis
What the Alito leak means for Roe — and everything else
The Most Dangerous Branch: Roe v. Wade
Why do we go to war?
Weeds Time Machine: The Clean Air Act
Tax time at the culture wars
Taxes! Let’s get right Intuit.
The Great Expiration
The art of the gerrymander
The myth of US energy independence
Why it’s so hard to move in America
Russia's terrible invasion
A quick update
Why San Francisco’s school board got booted
Democracy in crisis: The two-party problem
The curse of the midterms
Beijing, boycotts, and the enduring politics of the Olympics
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Tiny Desk Concerts - Video
60 Minutes
Left, Right & Center
The Axe Files with David Axelrod
Kickass News