Council for Citizens Against Government Waste Urges Gov. DeSantis to Reject Prescription Drug Price Controls
WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) President Tom Schatz sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) urging him to reject HB 19 and SB 1528 on the grounds that they would allow the importation of potentially dangerous drugs subject to socialist price controls into the state of Florida.
The letter reads, in part:
“HB 19 / SB 1528, sponsored by Rep. Tom Leek (R-25) and Sen. Aaron Bean (R-4), aim to lower prescription drug prices by creating a Canadian and an International Prescription Drug Importation program, allowing Floridians to buy drugs at a savings through the price controls on pharmaceuticals imposed by Canada and other countries.”
“Under the bill, Florida would establish programs to oversee Canadian and international drug importation for the state, provided it gets approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As counterfeit drugs are on the rise, it is extremely dangerous to have a state with a population of 21 million operating outside of the closed pharmaceutical distribution system overseen by the FDA. While the legislation requires the state to hire a vendor to contract with eligible importers, it will still be necessary for the state to assure that not only the vendor, but also the drug suppliers, are in full compliance with federal laws, including the complex track and trace system; Canadian laws; and laws within the jurisdiction in which they are operating. The rigorous and expensive oversight required would be monumental, and a single mistake could be deadly.”
“Our nation is on the precipice of veering off into a single-payer healthcare system where price controls and rationing are used to keep down prices. If this proposal should become law, it would send the unfortunate message that a conservative governor approved a bill that adopted a socialist scheme in an attempt to drive down healthcare costs.”
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.
Contacts
Curtis Kalin (202) 467-5318