A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism website that fact-checks politicians’ claims has waded into the controversy over whether President Biden raised insulin prices by freezing a 340B-related Trump administration regulation.
On Feb. 11, the Poynter Institute’s PolitiFact site rated U.S. Senate candidate Mark Walker’s (R-N.C.) Jan. 22 tweet that Biden “is raising the prices of insulin and Epi-Pens on those with high costs and the uninsured” as Mostly False. Walker chose not to run for re-election to the U.S. House in 2020, choosing instead to seek the Senate seat held by Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who is not seeking reelection in 2022.
“Biden froze a directive that would have ordered some health centers to provide insulin and EpiPens at the same price they purchased them through” the 340B program, PolitFact wrote. “But experts say the health centers were already providing the discounts. Furthermore, Biden froze Trump’s order before it ever took effect, so it’s inaccurate to suggest prices are going up. The program’s status quo will continue until a final decision is made. We rate this claim Mostly False.”
Since Biden’s Jan. 21 decision to freeze the regulation, a fight has smoldered on social media over whether the president’s action raised the price of insulin.
