NTU urges all Senators to vote “NO” on the drug importation amendment (S. Amdt. #2793).
This amendment, introduced by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), would be tacked on to pending health care reform legislation in an effort to open the floodgates for drug importation to the United States. More specifically, the Dorgan amendment would waive the limitation, as administered through the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which allows importation to occur only if it is proven to pose no safety risk to consumers and result in significant cost savings.
We believe drug importation is fraught with fiscally and economically detrimental consequences for taxpayers and consumers alike. Using data from a Congressional Budget Office Study, we concluded back in 2003 that the cost savings from importation may not be as great as advocates suggest. Little has changed since then. Worse, other costs associated with importation proposals could be much more damaging. These schemes would allow drugs to be shipped at prices set by foreign countries, robbing our pharmaceutical companies of the revenue they need to research cures for some of the world’s most debilitating illnesses.
We cannot afford to put America’s free-market economy even further at risk through drug importation. As the Senate continues to debate health care, we hope you will focus on common-sense, fiscally responsible legislation offering true reform that empowers patients and doctors – not government bureaucrats.
A “NO” vote on Senator Dorgan’s Amendment #2793 will be significantly weighted as a pro-taxpayer vote in our annual Rating of Congress.
If you have any questions, please contact NTU Federal Government Affairs Manager Jordan Forbes at (703) 683-5700.
