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February 11, 2006
Cracking Down On Those Criminal Senior Citizens
In today's LA Times comes a report that the federal government has stepped up its seizure of prescription drug shipments from abroad, drugs that are mostly ordered by U.S. seniors from Canadian pharmacies.
Importing drugs from abroad is illegal, but has largely been tolerated until now. Some states, like Minnesota, have defied federal law and passed state legislation to allow easier importation of the foreign drugs in response to local political pressure. Seniors here order them from abroad because it is significantly cheaper than buying them locally.
Canadian pharmacies have reported huge increases in the number of shipments seized by the U.S. government. The uptick in seizures begain in November and has rapidly increased. Is it coincidence that this increase in seizures has occurred just as the new Medicare prescription drug benefit has taken effect?
Not surprisingly, seniors are none too pleased about losing their prescription shipments. Given the apparent enormous problems with the new Medicare benefit, the administration is taking a real gamble with this crackdown (which, shockingly, they deny is even occurring.) When seniors cannot reliably get their needed prescriptions, either from their own government benefit or by ordering them from abroad, we may have a problem folks.
The Bush administration is creating more heartburn for an already dyspeptic Congress. Picture the town hall meeting back in the district this summer, where the Congressman gets ripped a new one by an army of irate octogenarians who are involuntarily off their meds. Just what these nervous GOP incumbents need in an uncertain election year.
Some Republican House members must be asking themselves, "Is the administration trying to lose this election for me?"
Posted by houtopia at February 11, 2006 03:11 PM