Posted At South Florida Sun-Sentinel
By : Irv Slosberg - State Representative Boca Raton
Since the last presidential election, the government has forgotten about the importation of prescription drugs. Fortunately, I have not forgotten about its possible benefits nor how it would affect my senior constituency. Let's face it: Many of us already order our prescription drugs from Canada.
Let's make it legal. I have introduced HB 965 to study the taxpayer savings from importing drugs for Medicaid recipients and state employees. I expect Florida to save $1 billion each year. This bill will start the wheels turning in legalizing the importation as well as begin lowering our Medicaid budget, which accounts for 25 percent of the state's total budget.
Gov. Jeb Bush said he is interested in reducing the Medicaid budget. Together, we can make this bill one of the state's priorities.
The many prescriptions we take daily are imported. Foreign companies are exporting the same drugs to Canada as they do to the U.S. So, if the exact same product under the exact same label is being shipped to Canada at a significantly cheaper price than it is sold for in the U.S., logic dictates the consumer purchase it for the cheaper price.
Florida spends $2.64 billion each year on pharmaceutical drugs for Medicaid recipients and state employees. I would like to start putting more money back into the state's bank account instead of lining the pockets of drug companies. Eventually, I would like to see Congress allow every American to buy drugs at a lower price, even if it is from another country. Eventually the drug companies will get the hint.
Let's stop the big pharmaceutical companies from fooling everyone. They will give the top negotiators the best prices. The U.S. is a poor negotiator of drug prices. Florida is run by Republicans who say they are business savvy. They say they are knowledgable negotiators. Did they leave their calculators at home?
