Again...NO...it doesn't. To say that they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid/government assistance but can't afford $40/month for insulin is ridiculous. You're describing a situation that is so incredibly rare in the states it's not even worth a discussion.
Even if someone was in the situation you described all they would have to do is contact their local JDRF office and ask for assistance.
People like me are more than willing to donate excess supplies. I've contacted my local office on multiple occasions BEGGING them to take the 5+ unopened boxes of Levemir I have in my refrigerator (that's 20+ flexpens btw).
There are occasionally people who need it, but it's not as if there's a line outside the door of people dying to get insulin.
You don't know my friends, their situations or anything other than a brief summarized paragraph I added to my post. You have no basis to judge on or make any claims. I'll double check with my friends whether they have been in touch with the JDRF, but they have been extremely thorough, so that might be something they already went through.
I want to contest your claim there though. This situation is
not rare. This is happening increasingly often, a quick Google search pulls up a shocking amount of information, including statements from doctors who see a rising number in patients not taking any insulin.
http://c-hit.org/2016/04/10/low-income-diabetics-paying-high-price-for-insulin/
http://kellywpa.com/2016/08/22/insulin-prices-when-you-cant-afford-to-stay-alive/
https://www.diabeticlifestyle.com/type-1-diabetes/insulin-prices-skyrocketing
Novo Nordisk was sued over the fact that insulin prices are so ridiculously high in the US, too. It's clearly problematic and not something to be dismissed..
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...rtain-of-its-senior-executives-300389860.html
Furthermore, there are great downsides to this cheap and brandless insulin. One of them is that you can suffer extreme and severe side-effects from it because it is a lot harder to regulate. It's basically an old school version that was discontinued for use by doctors for a very good reason.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-...insulin-without-a-prescription-but-should-you
It almost seems to be the equivalent of taking cheap medicine intended for pets because the human version is too expensive. You'll probably survive, but it could seriously damage you for the long term and cause more problems down the road. Furthermore, the fact that no prescription is needed means it is way less (or not at all) regulated which contributes to these issues.
That is also assuming that people have access to a Walmart in the area, transportation to get to the pharmacy, and that the insulin is sold at that low price. As far as I'm aware, it can still cost in the double digits for a bottle depending on where you are.
I'm glad you've made it work out for you and have the privilege of giving away your insulin for those in need, but I feel you're stepping out of line by saying 'No' and expecting it to negate my friends' situations, without even knowing a single thing about them other than 'they're diabetic'. There are countless of factors that come into play. Some of us don't even have five bucks leftover at the end of the month, much less forty for a bottle of cheap, brandless insulin. I have friends on other medications who are insured, but still have nothing left at the end of the month and are forced to choose between food and medication. This is not even a diabetes issue, it's a general healthcare system problem. Your healthcare system is about to be turned upside down again by the Republicans which is probably going to make things worse for everyone, if current indicators are to be believed. My friends are freaking out, and I am with them because there is literally nothing else they can do.
I'm not enjoying watching my friends struggle the way they do. They're all pretty smart cookies who make use of the resources in their areas, but when there are none, or there isn't even money for the brandless ****, your 'NO' doesn't change any of that. And considering most of my friends struggle in the healthcare department financially, to the point where they ask people not to call ambulances and just get a taxi because it'll make them homeless otherwise, I genuinely doubt it's an insignificant number of people having these issues.