Diabetes mellitus affects millions of individuals in the United States. When unmanaged, this disease can result in hyperglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, or long-term effects such as retinopathy, neuropathy, or nephropathy. The treatment for type 1 diabetes includes insulin therapy and consistent self-monitoring of blood glucose. The same treatment is able to be used for inadequately managed type 2 diabetes that can no longer be controlled with oral medications. The physiologic role of insulin cannot be imitated through any means other than laboratory produced analogues. However, access to this important medication is limited when it comes to affordability, even with the aid of health insurance plans that are meant to cover most of the costs.