What We’re Reading: COVID-19 Vaccination if Pregnant; Lilly Drops Insulin Price; Health Care Spending Bill Debate

CDC Recommends COVID-19 Vaccinations for Pregnant People

As reported by NPR, the CDC released data indicating that COVID-19 vaccines do not increase risk of miscarriage, issuing its strongest recommendation yet for pregnant people and those recently pregnant to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, only 31% of pregnant individuals in the United States have been vaccinated against COVID-19. In related news, YouTube is banning COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, according to The Associated Press. The platform attempted a similar move last year; however, information surrounding other vaccines has cropped up over the past year.

Eli Lilly to Cut Insulin Price by 40%

Eli Lilly said that it will cut the US list price of its insulin lispro injection by 40% starting January 1, as reported by Reuters. The new price will be 70% less than the insulin lispro injection’s Humalog U-100 counterparts—which Lilly said will reduce the costs for uninsured persons and those who have not joined the company’s affordability programs—and will bring down the price of insulin lispro to $82.41 for individual vials and $159.12 for a pack of 5 injection pens. Most people using insulin lispro won’t see a change in their monthly prescription payments because they have fixed insurance co-pays or are enrolled in Lilly’s affordability program. About 1 in 3 prescriptions for Lilly’s U-100 mealtime insulin is for insulin lispro, according to the company.

Democrats Argue Over Health Care Spending Bill

House Democrats are split on how to divide a potential smaller serving of health care spending in President Joe Biden’s domestic policy bill. A report from The Associated Press said the arguments address whether more funding should be provided for Medicare, which would benefit wealthy older individuals, over Medicaid expansion, which would reach uninsured, low-income person. Biden’s $3.5 trillion domestic policy bill includes funding for health care climate change, child care, and community college. The bill is also pushing for a major expansion of home-based long-term care services under Medicaid, which would serve as an alternative to nursing home placement for disabled or senior individuals.