Including making it legal to buy cheaper drugs from Canada and elsewhere . (
not China anymore)
President Trump delivers remarks and signs executive orders on lowering drug prices.
Wall Street analysts were skeptical that the directives would have much effect on drugmakers and said they could prove difficult to implement
www.voanews.com
I read the article but I don't think it's going to have much in cutting prices.
Passing on a so called discount may sound good but it doesn't stop the companies from raising their prices to cover that discount. Which we all know they will do.
Importing drugs from Canada is a good idea but we wouldn't need to if we had real reform on prescription drugs. It's pretty sad to have to reimport from other countries medications made here just to get a lower price.
Our government can't negotiate lower drug prices with the companies like Canada can.
I know that drugs made right here in America that are sent to Canada are sold much cheaper in Canada than here. I know that drugs made in America are sold much cheaper in Europe too. Same drug. Same company but because their government does get involved to negotiate lower prices, some putting caps on prices gives lower cost to their populations.
The same drug sold here is usually at least 3 times as what it is in other nations.
Then there's the pharmacies. You can pay completely different prices for drugs depending on the pharmacy.
Example I had to get a prescription for an antibiotic. I'm allergic to traditional antibiotics so the ones I have to take cost more.
At Rite Aid that prescription for 14 days of an antibiotic was 137 dollars. While the same prescription at Costco cost me 33 dollars.
I had 3 other medications along with it. At Rite Aid it would have cost 425 dollars. At Costco, those same 4 medications including the antibiotic was 127 dollars. I had Rite Aid transfer those prescriptions to Costco and will never fill a prescription there again. I only went there because my former insurance company forced us to Rite Aid by refusing to cover a lot of other pharmacies like Walgreens.
I would like to be able to get the prices the insurance companies are able to get. They get a HUGE discount. If you have proper insurance that insurance company has negotiated with the drug companies and pharmacies for prices. People who don't have good or any insurance can't do that.
Our health care system is like most things here, a total mess.
This is what happens when regulations are removed, taxes on business is slashed, everything is privatized and companies are allowed to do just about anything they want.