Inside STAT: See one woman’s complicated, costly journey to a Canada — all for cheaper insulin

EMMA KLECK IN A VANCOUVER PARK, THE MORNING AFTER TRAVELING TO CANADA (MONIQUE JAQUES FOR STAT)

Insulin caravans — where groups of Americans travel to Canada for the sole purpose of purchasing the drug at cheaper prices — have garnered recent attention as lawmakers have discussed the lifesaving drug's skyrocketing prices. In a new photo essay, STAT's Nicholas Florko and STAT contributor Monique Jaques tell the story of Emma Kleck, who has type 1 diabetes. Kleck knew that once she switched from her parents' health insurance to the high-deductible plan offered through her job, she'd be paying a hefty price to manage her disease, from the test strips and body sensors to the $300 insulin vials. So she booked the cheapest flight to make the more than 1,000-mile trip from her home in Santa Cruz, Calif., to Vancouver in the hopes of buying insulin at less than $50 a vial. See the story of her journey here.