HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio — Isaiah Gentry was just 10 when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2020.
“Our whole life turned upside down,” Tara Gentry said, recalling when her son was diagnosed.
We first met Isaish and his mother back in 2023, when Congressman Greg Landsman brought them to the State of the Union address to bring awareness to high insulin prices.
“It shouldn’t be as high as it is,” Isaiah said at the time. “Every income family should be able to afford it.”
Back then, Tara took a lower-paying job so that she could qualify for Medicaid and afford her son’s insulin and other necessities.
She’s since gotten a higher-paying job and no longer qualifies for Medicaid.
“I am now paying out of pocket for everything,” said Tara. “For private insurance, for all of his medical devices, plus the insulin.”
WATCH: How the high prices of insulin have impacted Gentry and her son, and the sacrifices they've made
Tara said she’s paying around $500 a month for everything Isaiah needs to manage his diabetes. That includes his Dexcom, pump, its supplies and insulin. On top of that, she’s paying an extra $400 a month for private insurance.
“I’m looking at almost $900 a month for keeping him alive,” she said.
I asked her how much it would be if she didn’t have insurance.
“Oh, thousands. I mean, the Dexcom alone without insurance is $360,” she said.
That financial burden has been deeply felt in the Gentry home, as Tara sacrifices her own health to make sure her son can live.
“I’ve decided to not do weekly therapy sessions in order to be able to afford Isaiah’s medical stuff ... that’s obviously priority,” said Tara. “Isaiah will die if he does not have insulin.”
Which is why she and Isaiah think Hamilton County’s lawsuit against major pharmacy benefit managers and drug manufacturers is a step in the right direction.
The suit, filed by the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners with County Prosecutor Connie Pillich, claims an illegal pricing scheme between manufacturers Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi and pharmacy benefits managers CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx resulted in excessively high insulin prices for the county's employees and dependents.
“I don’t want there to be another me out there who can’t afford insulin just because of what he or she has going on in their life,” said Isaiah.
We reached out to all six companies named in the lawsuit; five responded, all denying the allegations and saying they welcome lower insulin prices. To read their full statements, you can click here.
