State House Democrats planned to announce legislation that would allow Michiganians to buy about 150 brand-name drugs from Canada and other countries at significantly lower prices than in the United States.
The legislation would aim to allow Michigan to take part in the I-SaveRx program, which is limited to brand-name drugs for treating chronic and long-term conditions.
The program does not cover generic drugs, or drugs such as insulin that can spoil during shipping.
Joining the program is free, and residents pay a 1.5 percent fee that is included in the prescription's total price.
Democrats backing the legislation say it would help senior citizens pay for their often numerous medications. They also feel U.S. pharmaceutical companies are charging too much for drugs.
We agree. It's important to put our citizens' needs in front of pharmaceutical companies' profits.
Some Republicans are against the legislation, with their strongest argument coming close to an attack on Canada's health-care system, which we feel is better than the United States' system.
The argument is that importing drugs from Canada could be an unsafe practice.
They argue that U.S. consumers and government officials don't know where the drugs were manufactured and whether they're safe enough.
If it's good enough for Canada, it's good enough for us. If the argument about unsafe drugs is the best that opponents of the legislation can come up with, well, it's pretty lousy.
The truth is, the drugs are the same ones as in the U.S., but because Canada cares more about the health of its people than the United States does, the drugs are less costly.
Granted, importing drugs at lower costs (about 25-50 percent lower than the U.S.) is a quick fix. Of course it would help people, but it could also drive up U.S. pharmaceutical companies' prices even more.
This is really part of a larger issue - the entire U.S. health-care system, which promotes the immense control pharmaceutical companies have in the United States.
But until our nation gets its priorities in check, we support the legislation allowing Michigan to become part of the I-SaveRx program.
