Open letter to Heidi Heitkamp and John Hoeven
Greg Wentz
Bismarck
On Wednesday, January 11, a measure by Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, which would have allowed pharmaceutical distributors and pharmacists to import low-cost medicine from Canada, was defeated by a vote of 52-46 with 13 Democrats voting against. Thirteen Republicans supported the measure.
The typical excuse legislators offer for voting against less expensive drug importation from Canada is that Canada does not offer American safety standards. Interestingly, none of those legislators has ever pointed to a safety problem with drugs used in Canada.
Additionally, most of the drugs that would be imported from Canada were originally manufactured in the United States; they’re just cheaper there because the Canadian government uses a review board and price negotiation to make drugs more affordable.
According to a 2015 Kaiser poll, roughly 72 percent of Americans support pharmaceutical importation from Canada. Even Donald Trump backs it. And yet, some Democrats have continually sided with Republicans who want to block importation.
Both of North Dakota’s senators voted against lower drugs costs for North Dakota’s citizens.
Two questions for Senators Heitkamp and Hoeven:
How much did you receive in campaign donations from the pharmaceutical industry in 2016?
Why did you vote against lower drug prices for North Dakotans?
If you used the “safety excuse,” please point to an example of a drug issue in Canada.