The governor of Illinois– which, like most states, is suffering a budget crisis– has initiated a plan to purchase cheaper prescription drugs from Canada for state employees and retirees. This could save Illinois tens of millions of dollars.
Now this puts the Bush administration in a funny position. The Bushies have been telling the state governors who ask for more federal help to instead look at ways to cut their supposedly bloated budgets.
But when one governor comes up with an innovative way to cut costs, the administration’s reaction is decidedly unfriendly.
The US Food and Drug Administration is warning that drugs imported from Canada may be unsafe, even though Canada has a higher life expectancy than the US. The Bushies seem to have a pretty selective approach to health and safety issues.
And the White House, with backing from the pharmaceutical industry, continues to try and defeat a Congressional initiative to legalize the import of Canadian drugs.
