Illinois set to buy drugs from Canada
By Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, 9/15/2003
Facing budget-breaking increases in prescription drug bills, the governor of Illinois took the first step yesterday toward purchasing lower-cost medications from Canada, a move that puts him in direct conflict with federal regulators and signals a dramatic escalation in the civil war over US drug prices. What began a decade ago with busloads of senior citizens trekking across the border in search of cheaper medicines has mushroomed into a nationwide rebellion. It has spread from small, nonprofit groups to the private sector, and now, to local and state officials who are defiantly ignoring warnings by the Bush administration and the pharmaceutical industry that drug reimportation is dangerous and illegal.
Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, said he has directed the Illinois Special Advocate to draft a plan for buying inexpensive medications in Canada for as many as 240,000 state employees and retirees.
"The status quo on prescription drugs is intolerable and unacceptable," Blagojevich said yesterday. This year, the state is spending $340 million on prescriptions for its work force, a 15 percent increase over last year.
"I am optimistic we will be able to save literally millions of dollars for the taxpayers and set a precedent other states will follow." (snip/...)
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/09/15/illinois_set_to_buy_drugs_from_canada/
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