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The House moved Thursday to revive one of the more popular provisions of last year’s failed social safety net package, passing a narrow healthcare bill that would dramatically lower out-of-pocket costs for insulin users. The bill passed by a vote of 232 to 193, with 12 House Republicans joining all Democrats in support. The measure would cap insulin costs at $35 a month for consumers enrolled in private health insurance plans or Medicare. Currently, based on the patient’s condition and choice of treatments, costs can range from $334 to $1,000 a month for insulin, according to a 2020 Kaiser Family Foundation report. (Kaur, 3/31)

Some patients, particularly those without health insurance or coverage requiring high out-of-pocket payments, are forced to ration or skip doses of insulin because of its high price. According to a 2018 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, the price of a vial of one type of insulin jumped to $234 from $35 between 2001 and 2015. Three companies produce all of the insulin in the U.S., shielding the drug from generic competition that often lowers the price of other drugs, according to the report. (Duehren, 3/31)

The overwhelming majority of House Republicans opposed the bill, underscoring the steep climb it faces when it arrives in the Senate, where it will need support from at least 10 GOP senators to pass if all Democratic-voting senators back it. Republicans argue that the measure wouldn't adequately address rising prescription drug prices and that it would raise premiums and worsen inflation. (Richards, 3/31)

Critics of the bill argue the cap alone doesn't do enough to solve the underlying problem of rising prescription drug prices. "We want lower prices for drugs, particularly for insulin," said Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga, during debate. "But instead of fixing a broken system, this bill aims to control it," he adding, calling the bill a "socialist plan." (Sprunt, 3/31)

Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Lisa Murkowski introduced a bill Thursday that would allow the nation’s schools to serve free meals to all students for another year. The move comes after Republican leadership objected to extending the pandemic flexibility in a recent spending bill — a surprise move that enraged school leaders and anti-hunger advocates across the country. “Senator [Mitch] McConnell said ‘no,’” Stabenow (D-Mich.) recounted in an interview. She noted that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which she chairs, were surprised by the minority leader’s stiff opposition in the final days of omnibus talks. (Bottemiller Evich and Calefati, 3/31)