Let me be upfront and honest. This blurb isn't meant to take sides or point fingers. Yes, I have my own views, but the more important issue to me here is making known a situation that is seemingly ignored by American society. I'm guessing it's because, like me a few months ago, they simply just don't know about it. PROnetworks is more than a technology forum... it's an outlet for thousands of people, many of them Americans who use and surf our community daily. And even for those who aren't American... this story might come as a shock to you, and believe me when I say, your input is also more than welcome.
I'm bringing light to a subject that even I knew little about for years. Why you might ask? Simple, because I believe education and knowledge is power to make change, and I think regardless of who you are, and what you believe, that the points below will bring a new light to an issue often kept in the dark. This blurb isn't meant to take sides, it's meant to make an issue known... because it's something we all need to know about, regardless of race, gender, age, creed, or political party.
I have long been part of the society that many might call the "have more's"... I've lived a good nearly 25 years of life in the southern United States and I owe that to my family. I come from a strongly backed republican and deeply religious Christian family. That said, it's not easy being a democrat like I am. But as you read this, believe me when I say that I've been on both sides of the fence. In two elections I have voted both ways; I put Bush into office, and then I tried to put him out. In the past 4 years I took a different stand than that of my family (not an easy thing to do) and today consider myself a Democrat by choice, it's what I believe in. Most of that comes in light of little issues I've become aware of in our society that I wasn't quite so aware of before. Call me a bleeding heart or just someone who cares, but there are a lot of issues in this country I, and many others, have ignored for generations. Today, I'm going to address one of those which recently has been brought to my attention.
The event that turned my proverbial light-bulb on occurred at some point the later half of 2004. It was then I started dating someone who suffers from grand mal seizures. Looking back, I'm embarrassed I never knew about all of this then. What I learned was that in the United States, our prescription drugs are, well, a bit pricey to be honest. In fact, my girlfriends medication racks up a grand $230 a month. Now if you're like me, and the other half of American society who earns below the mean wage of $36,764 a year, then you know exactly how hard that can be on you financially. I guess I'm one of the lucky individuals who never had to take prescription drugs, and anyone in my family who did take them sure didn't worry about it; I mean they all had health insurance to cover those costs because they all had high paying jobs. Of course, now I'm 25 and, again, like many Americans, I'm without health insurance. For that matter, so is my girlfriend. Now no one can say we are lazy and haven't worked hard. Both of us have College Degrees and both of us graduated with honors. Both of us work full times jobs, 40 hours a week, and both of us work on the side on our own business. But neither of our primary employers currently provides us health care coverage. And trust me... we're not alone.
According to a 2003 study by the US Census Bureau, approximately 45 million people in the US do not have health insurance coverage. The overwhelming majority of uninsured people are over the age of 65.
45 Million!! Think about that number for a minute, or maybe that the majority aren't my age, or my girlfriends age, but are retirees. These are people who have worked there whole life, and in many cases, still have to, because they cannot afford the medications they need to keep them alive, so that ultimately they can't retire at all. And these people aren't like me and my girlfriend, they can't just get any job they want... many don't have the education or the ability to perform the jobs I still have available to me. But to make matters worse, even those of us who can get decent jobs out of college and don't have health insurance, still can't get our prescription drugs for a decent price. You're probably wondering why.
Well, let me explain briefly. When I first applied for health insurance I was denied three times by a large insurance agency in the state of SC. Let me remind you that I have never had any prescription drugs, suffered from any ailments, or had any diseases that would warrant this. Their reason, my weight and height weren't matched up enough to qualify me. Yet there I was, perfectly healthy, not to skinny or overweight, and not to tall or short. I weigh about 140 and I'm 5'8"; so if you're like me, about right now you're going, "Huh?" But my situation pales in the light of my girlfriends. You see, she has a pre-existing condition, the seizures, even though she hasn't had one in nearly a decade. Because of this, she's more likely to win the lottery than be accepted by any health insurance company in the entire Country.
So that leaves me, her, and many other college graduates and a huge majority of seniors without the ability to obtain health insurance. But now let's address the real problem... getting those prescription drugs that they need.
I already mentioned my girlfriends medication cost in the US, $230 a month. We'll use this as an example. In many cases when you visit one store and the price is higher than another, you would likely buy from the other store, right? Well, if the United States is one store, our neighbor to the north, Canada, is another one. And in this case, Canada's "store" is significantly cheaper. The same drugs in Canada cost $165 for over a month and a half supply... the SAME drug. And unlike the US, Canada has a generic brand of the drug. It only costs $107 a month. Can anyone tell me it's smarter to still buy from the US? I didn't think so.
Oh, but this is when our government gets involved... and this is when you do hear objections.
In the USA, the FDA claims “prescription medicines bought outside of the US may be old, poorly manufactured, improperly stored or even counterfeit (fake or tampered with).”
It's ironic that these "fake" and "counterfeit" drugs mostly all came from one place, right here in the good ole' USA. That's right, we're banning our own drugs from re-entering our country. And in the process, banning all the generic brands created outside the country that, mind you, are perfectly safe.
But yet the fist continues to squeeze, as just today the Chicago Tribute reports, "The Bush administration has begun selectively seizing prescription drugs imported from Canada."
This action comes in light of the fact a few senators have gone against the grain to suggest their states strike deals with Canadian pharmacies to provide reasonably–priced prescription drugs to their citizens, legally. On February 27, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont joined Senator Russell Feingold of Wisconsin to introduce their bill, Preserving Prescription Drug Discounts Act, to support prescription drug benefits for American citizens from Canadian pharmacies. Does anyone else find it ironic that both Vermont and Wisconsin have been at the top of the list for FDA mail order confiscations?
This week my girlfriend, who writes for a local paper in my home town, wrote a editorial on this issue. She writes, "Unfortunately, this bill is only placing a band-aid on a much bigger problem: the way drug companies are handled in the US. Citizens of Canada are able to purchase medications at affordable prices because their government places price restrictions on drugs. The price of prescription drugs is not allowed to rise above the rate of inflation. In the US, drug costs have nearly tripled the rate of inflation in the past few years.
Pharmaceutical companies say the cost of research is the reason for such inflated consumer prices. They claim that other price–controlled countries are reaping the benefits of their research and passing the bill on to American consumers. Drug companies are granted a ten–year monopoly on their new drugs in order to recoup expenses."
Basically that means Canada gets our drugs for cheap, and American citizens (the 46 million without insurance included) have to pay out the big bucks for the same drugs.
Isn't it time more of us spoke up about this? Isn't it time our government did something to stop this raping of our American society? The excuses about unsafe drugs and the confiscation are all about the political ties to the Pharmaceutical industry, and we all know this. If our government really serves us, the people, then it is darn well time they took a bigger stand on this. It's also time we, the citizens, took a bigger role in expressing our views, regardless of what they are, on this issue.
My girlfriend ended her article, "The American public, which pays more for medication than another other country, should not suffer because of bogus arguments that government regulation is “socialized medicine.” It’s time to fight the pharmaceutical companies highly– paid congressional lobbyists and allow us to have access to the prescription drugs we need at a price we can actually afford, without leaving the country."
My hat is off to her... for her words of wisdom on the subject and for educating me on a BIG problem in America. I hope my article, the longest I've ever written for a Front page blurb, has brought some light to you on this subject. I sincerely hope this isn't a article you'll read and forget about, but an article you'll remember and take a stand on (one way or the other). We all have a voice... let's make sure we use it.
Primary Source: Natasha Whitling's Article - The Star (Columbia, SC)
Sources: Columbia Star, Chicago Tribute, Seattle News, New York Times
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