Does Rep. Price support President Trump's campaign pledge for Personal Importation? An open letter to the President, Rep. Price and the U.S. Senate

The following letter was sent to members of the United States Senate and to the President at the White House and Rep. Tom Price, the designee for Secretary of Health and Human Services:

President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
 Washington, DC 20500

January 30, 2017

An Open Letter to President Trump and Health and Human Services Designee Rep. Price:

I am writing in my capacity as publisher of the TodaysSeniorsNetwork series of web blogs to respectfully request clarification on the stance of Rep. Price as regards his support—or lack thereof—of personal importation of safe, affordable brand-name prescription medicines from licensed, registered pharmacies in Tier One Countries whose standards of safety of efficacy meet or exceed those of the U.S.

We applaud President Trump’s continued expressions of support for personal importation as evidenced by his campaign pledge, and more recently, his sharp criticism of the predatory pricing practices of Pharma that deny access to literally millions of Americans to vital medicines because the high prices render the medicines  unaffordable and unavailable.

During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Rep. Price, he and Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) engaged in an exchange based upon Rep. Price’s continued references to his goal being ‘accessibility’ to health care for all Americans. Senator Sanders pointed out that accessibility is not the same as the ability to purchase or afford adequate medical care, or a ‘million dollar’ home.

No other example so vividly illustrates this point as the cost of prescription medicines. A medicine that is unaffordable is inherently unavailable, and a medicine that is unavailable and not able to be afforded is a medicine that is denied.

However, a recent article from Roll Call offers Rep. Price an opportunity to shed light on his definition of accessibility to health care, based upon a situation involving his role in seeking an FDA exemption for a specific case of personally imported denied to a constituent because the medicine in question was also available in the U.S.

Roll Call noted that “…In February 2006, Rep. Price’s office appealed to the FDA on behalf of a constituent in need of a medicine for a surgery. While both drugs were available for sale in the United States, the patient was trying to import them from Canada, where they were presumably cheaper. The drugs were being held in customs, and the FDA explained to Price that it wasn’t legal to import the drugs manufactured outside of the country, even though there are some exceptions to this policy…”

Ironically, one of the exceptions under which personal importation is allowable is if the medicine is unavailable. As explained above, this raises the question of whether or not a medicine is unavailable if it is unaffordable, or is it merely ‘accessible.’

When Rep. Price wrote the letter, the FDA and U.S. Customs were engaged in collusion for such seizures which were accompanied by a letter threatening the patient who personally imported their medicines that by signing the letter they were admitting they were guilty of violating the law, that they were pledging that they would not attempt to import medicines in the future, and, if they did, their signature on the Customs letter would constitute an admission of guilt.

For 16 years, as publisher of http:/RxforAmericanHealth.blogspot.com, http:AmericanRxBillofRights.blogspot.com. and www.TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com,  I and other advocates have worked on behalf of the rights of Americans to have access to safe, affordable prescription medicines. In this instance, we successfully worked with contacts in the Senate to have the seizures halted, and to also specifically deny funding to Customs for such seizures.

That is why we are asking Rep. Price to now explain if his definition of ‘access ’includes support of the rights of Americans to engage in personal importation as he sought—and failed in-- on behalf of his constituent.   

In a recent letter from many Democrat members of the U.S. House of Representative to President Barrack Obama, they sought to “…  encourage your administration to explore implementing drug importation rules that are already part of U.S. law. Under authority from the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, the Secretary of Health and Human Services can certify the importation of prescription drugs from other countries under specific qualifications. This regulatory action would pose no risk to public health and safety and could result in a significant reduction in the cost of prescription drugs to American families.”

This leads to three specific questions that should be addressed by the President and Rep. Price:

1. Will he, if confirmed as HHS Secretary, continue his previously stated support of personal importation;

2. Does Rep. Price believe that a prescription medicine is in and of itself unavailable because it is unaffordable, thereby meeting the FDA’s stated and printed decision that a medicine or device that is unavailable is thereby exempt from restrictions of personal importation?

Will Rep. Price, if confirmed, follow the directive and intent of Congress as stated in the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003?

These questions are respectfully submitted.  We look forward to your response, and your stance on personal importation of safe, affordable medicines from Tier One countries—the most immediate relief from the predatory drug pricing practices of Pharma.

Daniel Hines

Cost of heart drugs makes patients skip pills, putting themselves at risk

For more than 5 million Americans with heart failure, a critical step to better health is taking the medications they're prescribed. But many patients fail to do so, putting themselves at greater risk of hospitalization and even death. To date, studies have not fully answered why patients fall short when it comes to taking heart medicine.

In a study appearing in the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic researchers found the drugs' cost is one of the biggest deterrents.

"We found patients weren't filling their prescriptions because of the expense," says Shannon Dunlay, M.D., Mayo Clinic cardiologist and lead author.

The study recruited patients from Olmsted County, Minn., and tracked their pharmacy records. Previous studies looked only at electronic prescription claims data, possibly missing drugs purchased with cash or not covered by insurance, Dr. Dunlay says.

The 209 patients in the study, ages 60 to 86, were asked how often they missed doses or didn't take drugs at all, and why.

Researchers found that younger patients were slightly more likely to skip certain heart medications than older patients.

Men were less likely than women to stick to certain drug regimens. Among patients who did a poor job following prescriptions, financial concern was the main reason: 46 percent reported that they had stopped taking statins or not filled a prescription because of cost, and 23 percent acknowledged skipping doses to save money.

Although 77 percent of patients in the study were eligible for Medicare, medication costs were still an important issue for some of them.

Dr. Dunlay emphasizes that heart failure patients worried about medication costs should tell their physicians. There often are lower-cost alternatives, she says.

Why RxforAmericanHealth believes personal importation of medicines from Tier One Countries can lower our debt at the local, State and Federal levels

· The United States faces what many believe to be the most severe fiscal crisis of its history—the burdensome Federal debt.

· Forty cents of every dollar spent by the government is today being applied to payment of interest for the debt.

· As of January 31, 2011 the amount of the U.S. debt had grown to $14.6 trillion.

· While there is debate among policy makers with differing political beliefs about contributors to this crisis, a consensus is rapidly emerging that a major contributor is the cost of healthcare.

· While the rate of the growth of healthcare costs has diminished somewhat, this is due to individuals not utilizing services due to the economic recession.

· At the same time, Prescription drug spending accelerated in 2009 to $249.9 billion, increasing 5.3 percent after 3.1 percent growth in 2008, driven by faster growth in both prices and utilization, according to the report.

· This reflects the fact that the pharmaceutical industry (Pharma) is a major driver of the ongoing—and growing—fiscal crisis as it relates to the costs of healthcare.

· ‘Negotiations’ between the Obama Administration and the pharmaceutical industry have not only not reduced the costs of prescription medicines, but they have actually created a guaranteed market for Pharma that will generate additional sales of drugs to be paid for by the Federal Goverment as the Doughnut Hole Medicare Part D is gradually eliminated, and as Pharma has continued to raise prices to offset its promise to ‘reduce’ prices for America’s elderly utilizing Medicare Part D.

· The result has been to increase prices for prescription medicines for all Americans, all the while failing to offer true relief for the elderly, but adding to the burden of the Federal debt.

· There must be relief from the prices Americans pay for prescription medicines—the highest in the world.

· Allowing personal importation of brand-name prescription medicines is the most effect strategy to provide the competitive forces to reduce the negative impact upon personal and governmental budgets, and at the same time, enhance the health and well-being of Americans by providing a healthcare regimen that includes access to safe, affordable brand-name medicines.

o Access to safe, affordable prescription name-brand medicines from licensed, regulated pharmacies outside the U.S. will reduce costs of medications, while improving the health of U.S. citizens

o Every American is entitled to enjoy the health benefits made possible by prescription medicines.

o We believe that Americans are capable of making informed decisions about his or her personal health and can do so in a responsible manner.

· This is validated by the growing number of policy makers—including President Obama—who in January 2011 reiterated his oft-stated campaign position regarding personal importation as a means of lower prescription drug prices, and reflected his sponsorship of legislation allowing personal importation when he served in the U.S. Senate.

· The President is not alone. A growing number of members of the U.S. Congress has introduced or announced support of personal importation as a primary driver as an option to offset increased healthcare costs directly, and, therefore the Federal debt.

· · The pharmaceutical industry has conducted an ongoing campaign comprised of false charges, inaccuracies, and fear tactics to damage the reputation of companies, services and individuals supporting a role for brand-name prescription medicines from outside the U.S.

· This is a reflection of Pharma’s goal to protect the status quo, as well as to make moves to prevent the free market from offering Americans the opportunity to purchase lower-cost safe brand-name medicines, and the industry’s belief that Americans are not capable of making such responsible decisions.

· · We shall present the truth about the safety, efficacy and cost-savings of brand-name prescription medicines from licensed, registered pharmacies in Tier One countries where standards of safety and efficacy meet or exceed those of the U.S.·

· We shall support policies allowing U.S. citizens to exercise their right to freedom of choice in brand-name prescription medicine purchases from licensed, registered pharmacies outside the U.S.