03Mar 2019 by Lynda Waddington
Iowa bills target emergency insulin access gap

Iowa bills target emergency insulin access gap

Gazette Column
Two bills making their way through the Iowa Legislature would help diabetics receive live-saving insulin in emergency situations. Senate File 291, sponsored by Sen. Carrie Koelker, R-Dyersville, and House File 447, sponsored by Reps. Andy McKean, R-Anamosa, and Lindsay James, D-Dubuque, are working their way through the human resources committees in their respective chambers. Their aim is fairly narrow in that they would allow Iowa pharmacists to dispense a 30-day supply of insulin to those with an expired prescription in an emergency circumstance, even when a physician's authorization cannot be obtained. Similar bills - known as Howdy's Law or Kevin's Law - have been passed in several other states following the advocacy of Dan and Judy Houdeshell of Ohio. Their son, Kevin 'Howdy” Houdeshell, ran out of insulin over the…
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10Oct 2016 by Lynda Waddington
The high cost of staying alive

The high cost of staying alive

Gazette Column
Although it pains me to admit it, the truth is that I’m part of the horde of Americans who are very poor health care consumers. My husband is a pump-carrying Type 1 diabetic, which was previously known as Juvenile Diabetes because it typically manifests in children and young adults. His body produces no insulin, the hormone that moves glucose from the bloodstream to the rest of the body. Type 1 is the rarest form of diabetes — only about 5 percent of diabetics in the U.S. are Type 1 — and it is, in a word, nasty. He must constantly monitor and regulate his blood sugar levels to stave off complications like nerve damage, kidney disease, blindness, poor blood flow and more. Even so, there’s no guarantee such complications won’t…
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