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I have sent plenty of people home from my ER with insulin pens. I have also seen many people admitted to the ICU for diabetic ketoacidosis when they stopped being compliant with their insulin for whatever reason. I think it’s always cheaper to just send them home with the pen. If you don’t, they’re going to show up in DKA later and it’s an automatic ICU admission which costs many thousands of dollars and ties up a lot of resources. And if they can’t afford their insulin, they sure as heck aren’t going to be able to pay for their ICU stay so the hospital ends up absorbing the cost.

You are 100% exactly correct, RC One! The optics are bad on this case history because a diabetic kid can be perfectly active, healthy, engaging with his or her friends...yet if insulin is not available...that same kid can be clinging to life just days later.

The other factor is *EVERYONE* in this country knows a diabetic whether family, friend, coworker, or otherwise.
Republicans would be painted as monsters by the media if they were to be shown halting insulin to a diabetic.

This is a no-win situation. Republicans would get blasted in the court of public opinion. In this example, the kid likely did nothing to influence her becoming diabetic. It was almost certainly getting dealt a lousy hand of cards in her young life.

Would you be able to provide anything in the way of ball- park, rough estimate information regarding how much insulin pen usage costs, compared to the more traditional use of insulin syringes and vials?

More? A lot more? About the same?

A relative uses two types of insulin daily, a basal (Levimir) and a so-called fast acting (Humalog). The basal has recently been split into two dosages, and the Humalog more "as needed"(of course) which translates generally into two, or three varying dosages per day, for this particular individual -- who isn't much interested in changing what is familiar method of medication herself, even though she is now being assisted in way of blood glucose level monitoring and dosage, due to herself being hospitalized earlier this year -first for sky-high (over 1200!) blood sugar level, and then about a month after getting out of the hospital (it took about 5 days of hospitalization and IV's to bring the levels down to reasonable levels) later had the paramedics called to bring glucose for a blood sugar level of 30. That's right, 3 and zero. 10 times 3. So low she was unresponsive even with her eyes open...

I get the impression pens can be more convenient, specially to carry around, on the go.

I've been meaning to ask a pharmacist, but never remember to think of it, except when they are too busy filling prescriptions to have the time.

Please forgive if you will, my infringement on your own "time", here.