Dangerous
Prescription Drug Bills Rely on Fine Print
By Michelle Plasari
RetireSafe.org
US
Two prescription drug bills now
spinning for traction on the Senate floor are
shamelessly relying on seniors not reading the
fine print. Both bills seek to stretch the public’s
general comfort with Canadian imports all the
way to Europe and Asia. The legislation, sponsored
by Republican David Vitter of Louisiana and Democrat
Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, would put countries
such as Estonia, Latvia, Portugal, Malta - and
the aforementioned Lithuania - on a list of approved
US drug suppliers.
It is no surprise, given recent polls revealing
tremendous opposition to such legislation, that
importation advocates never mention these countries
in their town hall meetings. They must know what
pollsters know. A majority of seniors approve
legalizing importation if the partner is Canada,
a trusted ally. But when asked whether they support
importation’s expansion into Slovakia, Slovania,
or any of those already mentioned, an astronomical
71 percent say no. No wonder lawmakers write so
small.
Beyond just the inclusion of Europe and Asia into
the importation mix, seniors have serious concerns
about the logistics of the Vitter and Dorgan proposals.
An eye-popping 72 percent would oppose the US
allowing medicines to be imported without proper
country-of-origin labeling. To seniors is it pure
common sense they should know whether their heart
medication, for example, originated in South Africa,
where the government acknowledges that counterfeits
and fakes account for up to 20 percent of all
medicines on the market. Who could fathom health
care legislation that would permit drugs from
some 25 lesser-regulated countries to commingle
with supplies headed for the US? Certainly not
American seniors.
Even if the proposed list of countries were acceptable,
and patients understood that many drugs will come
from unknown origins, their ability to opt-out
of taking such medications might make such a regime
more palatable. However, impossible as it seems,
neither the Vitter nor Dorgan bills offer any
such provision. Patients will have no right to
say no to foreign drugs and their doctors will
have no option to refuse such supplies. When asked
whether they could support this system, 79 percent
say no. With such deep opposition, it is odd that
these bills haven’t been condemned to death.
As is too often the case in the nation’s
capitol, the fine print is where the real damage
is done. Working to make prescription drugs more
affordable is admirable. Thinking outside the
box is reasonable. But abusing the public’s
good faith by opening the American marketplace
to unregulated and poorly labeled pharmaceuticals
is irresponsible.
The name says it all. At RetireSafe we are committed
to promoting safe and secure retirement conditions
for every American, in particular for those already
sliding gracefully into their golden years. And
as long as lawmakers call for such dangerous and
unregulated health policy, we’ll be reading
the fine print for seniors everywhere and standing
firm that global importation isn’t worth
the undeniable risks
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