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The hearing begins now. Tune in bit.ly/2CJhEBw 
Chairman Grassley calls for transparency in drug pricing!
Senator Wyden is disappointed in the pharmaceutical companies who have declined the invitation to attend today’s hearing. He is eager to work with the committee to get something done about the increased drug pricing.
@Segokathy is being introduced and welcomed!
@Segokathy: An American Diabetes Association study estimates that diabetes costs a total of 327 billion dollars a year, but for my family, the true cost cannot be calculated.
@Segokathy: For Hunter, and 3 every person who relies on it, insulin is as important as water or oxygen. Imagine if the one thing you relied on to survive was nearly out of reach because it was too expensive. That, for us, is insulin.
@Segokathy: “My energetic, athletic, and positive son was not himself. He seemed depressed. His grades dropped. He looked labored on the football field. His professors and coaches noticed the change, too.”
@Segokathy: I found out that Hunter had decided to purchase one vial of insulin instead of the four vials he needed for the month. Unbeknownst to me and my husband, Hunter was rationing his insulin.
@Segokathy: Thankfully for Hunter, we caught wind of this and he is okay today. But insulin rationing can lead to devastating—even deadly—complications, which I never want my son to experience.
@Segokathy: “Our electricity was turned off because I needed to purchase the medicine that keeps my son alive. Almost every $ I make goes towards health expenses, yet the increasing cost of medicine and care keep us in an endless cycle of trying to find innovative ways”
@Segokathy: to generate other sources of money to pay for it all. Both my husband and I work 80 plus hours a week.
@Segokathy: Hunter has these worries too. He wonders—Can he pay for an apartment? Utility bills? His student loans? Will he be able to have a social life? Take a girl on a date? The thing is, it really comes down to this:
@Segokathy: Hunter needs insulin to live, but should that need for #insulin keep him from living?
@Segokathy: this doesn’t have to be this way! We hosted an exchange student from Hungary and her family flew us out to their home for a visit. While their we went to the pharmacy for #insulin and it cost $10! The same vial we pay $487 out of pocket in the US.
@Segokathy: our family is not alone in this struggle. More than 7 million Americans use #insulin and more than 400,000 have signed the @AmDiabetesAssn petition calling for action to make #insulin more affordable for all those who need it.
@Segokathy this is NOT a call for a handout or a way to allow those who live with #diabetes to be given a free ride. We just want to keep those 7million alive without having to do what my son thought was his only option to stay alive
Senator Wyden says enough is enough of drug manufacturers taking advantage of the families with the high #drugprices And it ends today!
