Michigan lawmakers are teaming up in an effort to make prescription drugs more affordable - a hard subject to tackle with no clear-cut solution.

But as a step in the right direction the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill allowing the drugs to be imported from Canada.

The United States has some of the most expensive prescription drugs in the world. Prices for drugs are almost 77 percent higher in the United States than in other countries.

It's a situation in which the American public doesn't want to pay these extreme prices and many simply can't afford them.

With the cost of prescription drugs sky rocketing, Americans should be able to shop around and get the best deals for their medications.

People who need prescription drugs should be able to get it at affordable prices.

But opponents of the legislation say by allowing people to get medication from other countries, drug companies in the United States will lose much-needed money for research.

This could affect the development of future drugs that could ultimately save lives.

And if drug companies do not receive the money they need, the quality of prescription drugs could decline.

So while there might not be a cut-and-dry solution, lawmakers are onto something by compromising legislation that would allow imports only from Canada. It's a start to test out the idea and see what might come of all this.

If all seems to go well, more competitive markets can be introduced, eventually allowing people to shop among many markets.

Legislators hope to get the European Union and possibly seven other countries involved in the bill, widening the market range that Americans could choose from.

But it shouldn't stop there. Other countries should be able to become involved, making it even easier for those looking for affordable medication through competitiveness in the many drug companies.

It should be a slow process, and starting off with Canada is a smart start to a transition that could change the way people look at health care.

Achieving balance is a must with prices 77 percent higher than other countries.

It's just plain unreasonable to ask people to spend more when they could pay less.

Legislators should take the time to research the situation and look at all possibilities before making a definite decision.

People shouldn't have to make the decision of putting food on the table or purchasing expensive prescription drugs.

But at the same time researchers should have money to research medicines that could one day cure other illnesses.

Lawmakers should come up with a solution that will benefit everyone on all sides, starting with putting citizen's concerns at No. 1.