How much does insulin cost with Medicare in Colorado?

The limit applies per product, so someone using a long-acting basal insulin and a mealtime insulin has two $35 limits. In Colorado, 17,053 Part D members filled Lantus SoloStar (insulin glargine) and 3,775 filled NovoLog FlexPen (insulin aspart) in 2024. Medicare.gov says the limit applies to everyone who takes insulin, including people with Extra Help.

Insulin under Medicare: the monthly limit and Colorado 2024 figures

Insulin	Amount
Most you pay per covered insulin product, one month	$35
Most for a 3-month supply of one product	$105
One product for a year, at the limit	$420
Colorado Part D members filling Lantus SoloStar (2024)	17,053
Colorado patient share per 30-day Lantus SoloStar fill (2024)	$14.38
Colorado patient share per 30-day NovoLog FlexPen fill (2024)	$14.02
NovoLog and Fiasp negotiated price, 30 days (2026 only)	$119

Part D insulin versus Part B insulin

Part D covers injectable insulin in pens and vials, inhaled insulin, and insulin for disposable patch pumps. Part B covers insulin used with an external pump that Medicare treats as durable medical equipment. The same rule holds in both: no more than $35 for each month of each covered product, and no deductible on the insulin itself.

Supplies are different. Syringes, needles and similar items under Part D can be subject to the drug deductible, so ask your plan how it treats them.

What the limit means across a year

One insulin at the limit is $420 a year; a basal and a mealtime insulin together are $840. A 90-day fill can cost no more than $105 per product. Plans can charge less than $35, which is why the Colorado 2024 averages above sit well under it.

What you pay for covered insulin is out-of-pocket spending on covered Part D drugs, so it adds to your progress toward the $2,100 cap in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.

NovoLog, Fiasp and the biosimilars

NovoLog and Fiasp were among the first ten negotiated drugs, at $119 for 30 days in 2026, 76% below a $495 list price. CMS determined in March 2026 that they leave the program on January 1, 2027. For you, the $35 limit matters more than either number, because it already sits far below both.

Insulin has biosimilar competition. FDA approved Semglee (insulin glargine-yfgn), the first interchangeable biosimilar insulin, which references Lantus, in July 2021, and Merilog (insulin aspart-szjj), the first rapid-acting biosimilar, which references NovoLog, in February 2025. Your 2027 plan chooses which brands and biosimilars it lists.

If $35 is still hard

Novo Nordisk runs a patient assistance program for its insulins. Its 2026 rules accept Medicare members with household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, and anyone below 150% must first show an Extra Help denial (1-866-310-7549). Extra Help itself lowers premiums and copays for your other drugs.

Colorado insulin figures in context

Insulin costs far less than the other drugs on these pages. Lantus SoloStar averaged $68.15 gross per thirty-day fill in Colorado in 2024 across 120,299 fills, and NovoLog FlexPen $121.18. Members paid $101.45 and $74.96 per person for the whole year, well under the $420 that twelve months at the limit would cost.

Related questions

Sources

1. Medicare.gov: Insulin coverage Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
2. CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Geography and Drug, 2024 (Colorado) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
3. CMS fact sheet: negotiated prices for initial price applicability year 2026 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
4. CMS: Selected drugs and negotiated prices Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
5. Medicare.gov: How much does Medicare drug coverage cost? Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
6. FDA: 100 Years of Insulin (history exhibit) U.S. Food and Drug Administration
7. FDA: First rapid-acting insulin biosimilar product (Merilog) U.S. Food and Drug Administration
8. NovoCare: Patient Assistance Program 2026 eligibility Novo Nordisk

Please note: We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 10 organizations which offer 106 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.Headwaters Health and Wealth is not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. Medicare has neither endorsed nor reviewed this information.