January 20, 2015—Lawmakers have reintroduced bills in the U.S. Senate to require the federal government to negotiate Medicare Part D drug prices and to let Americans import prescription drugs from Canada for personal use. [ms-protect-content id=”2799″]
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is the chief sponsor of the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, S. 31, which would order the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate the prices drugmakers may charge Part D plan sponsors and Medicare Advantage plans. She and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) are the joint sponsors of the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act, S. 122.
“The fact that Medicare can’t negotiate for the best possible price on prescriptions makes absolutely no sense and is a bad deal for our seniors and our taxpayers,” Sen. Klobuchar said about the Part D bill. “This legislation would allow the government to directly negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare Part D so our seniors can have access to the medicines they need at the lowest possible price.”
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Al Franken (D-Minn.) are cosponsoring S. 31. It is basically identical to legislation that Sen. Klobuchar introduced in the Senate and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced in the House in the last Congress.
Meanwhile, Sens. Klobuchar and McCain said their bipartisan drug importation bill “would allow individuals to safely import prescription drugs from Canada, creating major savings for consumers and bringing greater competition into the pharmaceutical market.”
“Canadians often pay much less [than Americans] for the exact same prescription drugs,” Sen. Klobuchar said. “These cheaper alternatives come with the same safety standards and are the same dosages sold in the United States, but current law prevents Americans from importing them and benefitting from the savings. That just doesn’t make sense.”
“This legislation would allow individuals to safely import prescription drugs into the United States from our neighbors to the north, spur much-needed competition in the pharmaceutical market, and save individual Americans up to hundreds of dollars a year,” Sen. McCain said.
Under the bill, imported drugs would have to be purchased from an approved Canadian pharmacy, be dispensed by a licensed pharmacist, and be the same dosage, form, and potency as drugs in the U.S.
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America says on its website that importing prescription drugs “can be risky” and “the consequences of counterfeit drugs” from overseas “are frightening to contemplate.” [/ms-protect-content]