You have a citation that it’s available from every provider in the country at that price? The person quoted specifically said they’d been quoted that much and I would assume that people aren’t making up reasons to go on 5 hour drives.
Of course, there might be a more expensive provider that I don't know of.
I don't think that those people are making up reasons to go on 5 hour drives, but I do think it's quite likely that journalists fudged the numbers or just found some theoretical maximums and approximated the price from there. Just so it's a juicier story, of course.
*edit, as I am on an insulin pump I only take fast-acting insulins. Lantus/Levemir other longer acting insulins usually are more expensive than the fast-acting stuff.