Mississippi has four congressional districts, which means we send four people to Washington to serve our interests in the House of Representative, presumably, that is.

There are times, however, when we wonder whose interests our representatives are really looking out for.

Thursday was such a day.

House Resolution 6833, which would cap the price on insulin at $35 for a month’s supply, narrowly passed a House vote Thursday, thanks not at all to our Republican representatives — Trent Kelly, Michael Guest and Steven Palazzo, each of whom voted against the bill and against the compelling interests of Mississippians. In fact, only 12 of the 205 Republicans who cast a vote on the bill voted in favor.

We have long grown accustomed to hyper-partisanship, both at the state and national levels. But are we so naive as to believe that some issues are so important that partisanship be abandoned?

The “no” votes from Kelly and Guest, who each represent parts of the Golden Triangle, and Palazzo, who represents the Coast, are especially troubling because diabetes is especially troubling for our people.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), 14.4 percent of Mississippians (326,420) have diabetes. Only West Virginia (15.1 percent) has a higher rate.

The ADA estimates another 75,000 Mississippians have diabetes but aren’t aware of it. Finally, the ADA says there are 814,000 people in Mississippi, 35.6% of the adult population, who have prediabetes with blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

That means 40 percent of our population either has diabetes or is at substantial risk of becoming diabetic. Every year, an estimated 20,433 Mississippians — the population of Vicksburg, the state’s 20th largest city — are diagnosed with diabetes.

Diagnosed diabetes costs an estimated $3.4 billion in Mississippi each year, according to the ADA.

The price of insulin per person has doubled over the past five years, and it’s not due to an increase in demand. In fact, the average daily insulin use during the same period rose just 3 percent, according to a study from the Health Care Cost Institute. The study authors said that the per-person spending increase is due to price jumps, not more users.

Patients who can’t afford their insulin reduce or skip doses, a strategy born of desperation, which can lead to serious complications and even death.

According to the most recent data from the Department of Health and Human Services, released in 2020, the U.S. pays dramatically higher prices for insulin compared to other countries. At that time, the U.S. paid $98.70 per standard unit of insulin, while other countries like Canada, Australia and the U.K. all spent less than $15 per unit.

It’s unlikely that Kelly, Guest or Palazzo will mention this vote in their weekly newsletters. For obvious reasons, they would prefer Mississippians not to know about it.

Those critics who will speak on the subject point out that the bill does nothing to limit insulin costs for uninsured people, which is like opposing flood insurance because it doesn’t cover house fires. The other rationale they offer is the old song-and-dance about the sanctity of the free market and the evils of government price controls — slippery slope, yada, yada, yada.

But you shouldn’t be considered a flaming liberal – or worse, a communist – to believe that human lives are not a free-market commodity, at least not since 1865.

You can rest assured that the votes by Kelly, Guest and Palazzo have not escaped the attention of the insurance lobby. Their campaign war chests are certain to reflect that appreciation as they prepare for reelection on Nov. 8.

Kelly, Guest and Palazzo voted against Mississippians on Thursday. Mississippians will have an opportunity to return the favor in November.

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].