by PharmacyChecker.com | Feb 4, 2011 | Drug Prices, Personal Drug Importation
Last week, YouTube hosted a question and answer session at the White House with President Barack Obama. Americans across the country submitted over 140,000 questions to YouTube, and over a million people voted on which of those questions moderator Steve Grove should ask the president. We were not surprised to find out that the top healthcare question related to none other than prescription drug prices and importation:
Why [does] the same medication that I use cost so much less in Mexico or Canada even though it is being made here in the United States? (Noah, 00:29:03)
Obama’s answer was upfront and honest, and frankly, we liked what he had to say. The president said, “Canada and Mexico are bulk purchasers of those drugs, so they negotiate much cheaper drug prices with the drug companies. We still don’t do that, and I actually think it’s something we should do – it would save us money.” We were also pleased to hear him reopening communication about drug importation. “It may be that importation is still something we should look at in terms of further lowering the price of drugs,” the president said. (more…)
Tagged with: Americans, Canada, drug costs, Drug Importation, Drug Prices, healthcare, Mexico, personal drug importation, President Obama, Senator Byron Dorgan, YouTube.com
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Jan 26, 2011 | Drug Prices, Healthcare Reform, Medicare Drug Plans, Online Pharmacies, Personal Drug Importation
In the State of the Union speech last night, President Obama highlighted prescription savings benefits in his otherwise brief coverage of new healthcare reform. As we’ve previously reported, and President Obama was clear to state, those prescription savings will go mostly to our nation’s seniors who are enrolled in Medicare. Beginning last September, many of America’s seniors received $250 rebate checks for prescription drug costs, a small step toward affordable healthcare. Better yet, starting this year, the coverage gap will narrow, with enrollees receiving a 50% discount on brand name drugs, and by 2020, a 75% discount. While the “doughnut hole” will not fully be closed, the savings will mean that far fewer Medicare enrollees will face exorbitant brand name drug prices out of pocket. (more…)
Tagged with: 50-64, brand name drugs, discount, doughnut hole, health insurance, Medicare, personal drug importation, prescription drugs, President Obama, rebate, seniors, State of The Union, uninsured
