Quote:
Originally Posted by blueash
The importation of prescription medications has been illegal since well before the enactment of Medicare Part D. President Ronald Reagan signed the most significant piece of legislation prohibiting such importation in 1988, this was the Prescription Drug Marketing Act.
In fact, contrary to your claim, the Medicare Part D act specifically gave the Secretary of Health and Human Services the power to allow the importation of drugs from Canada, if the Secretary could certify the imports would both 1) pose no additional risk to public health and safety, and 2) generate cost-savings for American consumers. But no secretary has been either able or willing to do so. If you want to look it up..
Subtitle C: Importation of Prescription Drugs - (Sec. 1121)
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I stand corrected—thank you—that it was during the administration of President Reagan that laws were passed essentially requiring Americans to buy prescription drugs ONLY within the US. I believe these laws were addressed again during the administration of President Bush that results in Americans paying among the highest prices for prescriptions. I am a dual citizen US-Canada, and I can assure you that when we are in Canada, granted I am generalizing with round numbers, but when we spend $1,000 on Prescription drugs there, we do so knowing it would have otherwise cost us $3,000 at home.
I did point out that the Canadian pharmacies point out that buying from them is not fully legal but that US authorities have pointed out time and again that they will not go after Americans who fill only prescriptions for themselves, that is, not go into business.
I am not surprised at what you point out—that no Secretary has ever officially said that importation could benefit Americans. For people who think our country is governed by elected officials or the federal bureaucracies, there is a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell them.... The pharmaceutical and insurance industries have substantial lobbying budgets, I would suspect....