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The Wrong Prescription For The States?
by Chloe Albanesius
This week's decision by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to explore the option of letting state employees and retirees purchase their prescription drugs through Canada may be an anomaly, as other states appear to be less willing to move in that direction for now.
"We have discussed it but have not pursued it" because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been critical of the idea of importing drugs from other nations, said Trish Riley, director of the Office of Health Policy and Finance for Maine Gov. John Baldacci.
"We are monitoring whether 'Canadian storefronts' are popping up in Virginia," added Ellen Qualls, the press secretary for Virginia Gov. Mark Warner. "But we are not proposing [that] the state buy [prescription drugs] from Canada."
The FDA argues that it cannot know if the incoming drugs have undergone the stringent safety tests it requires. "A number of Canadian Web sites and ordering services indicate that the Canadian drugs are dispersed pursuant to existing prescriptions that are rewritten by a Canadian doctor to comply with Canadian law," William Hubbard, the FDA's associate commissioner for policy and planning, said at a June congressional hearing. "However, dispensing medication based on a prescription written by a physician who has not seen the patient or conducted a physical exam is contrary to medical-practice standards."
Illinois currently faces a $5 billion deficit, and with annual prescription-drug bills now at $340 million, the state "needs to find a way to provide critical services at a lower cost," Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said in defending the new drug-buying policy in Illinois. "Clearly, medicines cost less in Canada."
Blagojevich's announcement calls for his state's Office of the Special Advocate to report within 90 days on the potential cost savings, legal and regulatory issues and feasibility of allowing 200,000 employees and retirees to buy prescriptions from Canada via the Internet and mail. On Friday, Blagojevich also called for the FDA to reverse its policy. "If the federal government is not able to correct serious drug-price disparities between the U.S. and the rest of the world, then it should give states the flexibility to pursue better prices on their own," he said.
Like many states Washington, North Dakota and California also face budget crises but appear to be leaning toward discount programs for drugs rather than hassling with the legal ramifications of buying Canadian drugs.
Washington Gov. Gary Locke "has looked to leverage the state's purchasing power to help lower the skyrocketing cost associated with prescription drugs as opposed to looking to Canada," said Michael Marchand, Locke's deputy communications director. Locke signed legislation in the spring that allows state agencies to offer employees a "preferred" drug list created by a committee of medical professionals, Marchand said. It also established a clearinghouse where low-income seniors can get information on more affordable prescription drugs.
North Dakota and California have adopted similar programs. North Dakota Gov. Jon Hoeven signed legislation that allows insurance commissioners to link those people eligible for cheaper drugs with patient-assistance programs via computer software.
A spokesman for Hoeven said, however, that the governor is "not interested" in buying drugs from Canada. And spokesmen for Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski and Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton also confirmed that the states do not plan to consider such a proposal.
While Illinois is the first state to consider purchasing drugs from Canada, the town of Springfield, Mass., started offering its citizens the option in July. Springfield Mayor Michael Albano met with FDA officials on Tuesday so that "he could state his opinion on the matter," Albano spokesman Nick Breault said.
While the town is within its rights to offer the program, the FDA considers Springfield's supplier, CanaRX, to be an "illegal operation" and is moving toward closing it within the United States, Breault said.
California Prosecutor Backs 'Megan's Law'
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer on Tuesday urged lawmakers to ensure that the Dec. 31 expiration date for a law that requires officials to give the public access to information on convicted sex offenders does not pass without legislative action.
"Today, the California Police Chiefs Association joins me in urging lawmakers to act quickly to ensure Californians can continue to have uninterrupted access to the whereabouts of registered sex offenders living in their communities," Lockyer said in a statement.
Lockyer's comments came after the state Assembly failed to pass legislation continuing the life of the public database, which was created under a statute known as "Megan's Law." The act is named after 7-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl who was raped and killed by a known child molester who had moved onto her street.
Lockyer is so concerned about the continuation of Megan's Law that he has asked Gov. Gray Davis to convene a special session on the issue. Lockyer said he will continue his push for the list to be posted online.
"I have sponsored and supported legislation to post Megan's Law on the Internet to make it even more convenient for Californians to use," he said. "While those efforts have so far been refused passage in the legislature, I am confident that we will soon win the fight to put this critical information on the Internet."
Texan Gets Nine Years For Child Porn
A Texas man received a nine-year sentence for possessing child pornography and posting obscene images of children to a Yahoo Web site, Attorney General Greg Abbott said on Tuesday.
The Texas cyber-crimes unit apprehended Lawrence Codell Mann after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. After examining Mann's "profile" page and "photo album" site on the Internet, investigators obtained a search warrant and found child pornography on his home computer. He was charged with three counts of promoting and six counts of possessing the offending material.
Rep. Terry Applauds Governors' Telecom Efforts
Republican Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska on Monday applauded the Western Governors Association for approving a resolution that asks Congress to revamp the universal service fund that aims to guarantee all Americans access to affordable communications.
The resolution "marks an important step toward better telephone service for rural telephone users," Terry said in a release. Specifically, the resolution calls on Congress to make sure that affordable service is available in all rural areas, not just a few.
Terry has sponsored legislation calling for reform of the fund, and a hearing on the matter is scheduled for later this month in the House Energy and Commerce Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee.
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