Running head: BENCHMAK – POPULATION HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS 1
Benchmark - Population Health Policy Analysis
Grand Canyon University
Nursing 550: Translational Research and Population Health Management
, BENCHMAK – POPULATION HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS 2
Benchmark - Population Health Policy Analysis
There are more than 30 million Americans with diabetes, a disease that costs the U.S.
more than “$327 billion per year” (Cefalu, 2018). Diabetes imposes a huge impact on people’s
lives in higher medical costs, lost productivity, early deaths, and reduced quality of life. The
Diabetes isn’t going away and it’s patient group has continued to grow. Unfortunately, so has the
price of the lifesaving medication insulin, and as the price of insulin continues to rise, individuals
with diabetes are often forced to choose between purchasing their medications or paying for
other essentials, exposing them to serious short- and long-term health consequences. The
question is, why has a medication that was invented in the 1920’s and undergone little changes,
continue to get more and more expensive, and what can we do to help offset those costs?
History of Insulin
The discovery of insulin in 1922 marked a major breakthrough in medicine and therapy
in patients with diabetes. Long before the discovery of insulin, it was hypothesized that the
pancreas secreted a substance that controlled carbohydrate metabolism. For years, attempts at
preparing pancreatic extracts to lower blood glucose were unsuccessful due to impurities and
toxicities. It was Frederick Banting, an orthopedic surgeon, who first isolated the pancreatic islet
extracts from the pancreatic duct of dogs (Quianzon, n.d.). Relatively few changes have
happened to insulin since its invention, save for the introduction of some preservatives that
enabled it to act longer. Finally, in 1982 we were able to ‘create’ a human analogue of the
insulin, and there have been no real changes since (Quianzon, n.d.).
Improving Access
Benchmark - Population Health Policy Analysis
Grand Canyon University
Nursing 550: Translational Research and Population Health Management
, BENCHMAK – POPULATION HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS 2
Benchmark - Population Health Policy Analysis
There are more than 30 million Americans with diabetes, a disease that costs the U.S.
more than “$327 billion per year” (Cefalu, 2018). Diabetes imposes a huge impact on people’s
lives in higher medical costs, lost productivity, early deaths, and reduced quality of life. The
Diabetes isn’t going away and it’s patient group has continued to grow. Unfortunately, so has the
price of the lifesaving medication insulin, and as the price of insulin continues to rise, individuals
with diabetes are often forced to choose between purchasing their medications or paying for
other essentials, exposing them to serious short- and long-term health consequences. The
question is, why has a medication that was invented in the 1920’s and undergone little changes,
continue to get more and more expensive, and what can we do to help offset those costs?
History of Insulin
The discovery of insulin in 1922 marked a major breakthrough in medicine and therapy
in patients with diabetes. Long before the discovery of insulin, it was hypothesized that the
pancreas secreted a substance that controlled carbohydrate metabolism. For years, attempts at
preparing pancreatic extracts to lower blood glucose were unsuccessful due to impurities and
toxicities. It was Frederick Banting, an orthopedic surgeon, who first isolated the pancreatic islet
extracts from the pancreatic duct of dogs (Quianzon, n.d.). Relatively few changes have
happened to insulin since its invention, save for the introduction of some preservatives that
enabled it to act longer. Finally, in 1982 we were able to ‘create’ a human analogue of the
insulin, and there have been no real changes since (Quianzon, n.d.).
Improving Access
