The results haven’t been great. In fact, there haven’t been any results. Nearly five years after DeSantis first proposed his importation plan and a year after it took effect, Florida has not imported a single Canadian drug.
That may be a blessing in disguise. Drug importation schemes may have bipartisan support, but they won’t do much to save patients money. And as Florida has shown, there’s no guarantee they can even work.
When president-elect Donald Trump joked about making Canada the 51st state, he had an unlikely supporter: Bernie Sanders.
“Does that mean that we can adopt the Canadian health care system and . . . lower the cost of prescription drugs,” the Vermont senator wrote on X. “I’m all for it.”
It’s unlikely that Sanders wants the United States to launch a new era of North American imperialism. But he has long pushed for the United States to adopt Canada’s healthcare system, including its price controls on prescription drugs. Failing that, he’d love to import those price controls by allowing Americans to buy drugs from our northern neighbors directly.
Here again, Sanders is on the same side as a prominent Republican.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.
A Year Later, Florida’s Drug Importation Plan Is Misguided As Ever
Sally C. Pipes
The results haven’t been great. In fact, there haven’t been any results. Nearly five years after DeSantis first proposed his importation plan and a year after it took effect, Florida has not imported a single Canadian drug.
That may be a blessing in disguise. Drug importation schemes may have bipartisan support, but they won’t do much to save patients money. And as Florida has shown, there’s no guarantee they can even work.
When president-elect Donald Trump joked about making Canada the 51st state, he had an unlikely supporter: Bernie Sanders.
“Does that mean that we can adopt the Canadian health care system and . . . lower the cost of prescription drugs,” the Vermont senator wrote on X. “I’m all for it.”
It’s unlikely that Sanders wants the United States to launch a new era of North American imperialism. But he has long pushed for the United States to adopt Canada’s healthcare system, including its price controls on prescription drugs. Failing that, he’d love to import those price controls by allowing Americans to buy drugs from our northern neighbors directly.
Here again, Sanders is on the same side as a prominent Republican.
Read the entire op-ed here.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.