Editorial Board
Florida Wants to Import Prescription Drugs. Good Luck.
Price negotiations are best left to the federal government.
It’s a nice idea.
Photographer: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The US pays 50% more per capita for prescription drugs than Canada. Frustrated by this discrepancy, a handful of states in recent years have developed plans to import cheaper medications from across the border. Florida recently became the first state to get approval from the Food and Drug Administration to do so.
At first blush, the development sounds like a coup for consumers and a potential blueprint for other states saddled with rising drug costs. But, as ever in the US health-care market, the devil is in the details.