5 ms·

Honest question, is it possible to get these prescriptions filled from mail-order or international pharmacies? It seems there's a demand for reliable, no-bs me

Honest question, is it possible to get these prescriptions filled from mail-order or international pharmacies? It seems there's a demand for reliable, no-bs medication delivery from outside of the system.

mcculley 10y ago
I would be surprised if there aren't obstacles to importing drugs that require a prescription.
- hiram112 10y ago
  There are. It is mostly illegal to import drugs from overseas. There used to be 90 day exemptions that did in fact lead to many older Americans creating tour groups with the express purpose of crossing into either Canada or Mexico to purchase 90 days worth of drugs. Big pharma lobbied to end this practice and it appears to be in a bit of a gray zone. When it comes to visa workers, we know that the rallying cry is 'severe shortage of skilled workers'. The analog talking point for drug imports is 'safety - think of poor grandma ordering some blood pressure meds and instead getting fakes or worse'. We can't allow imports and it's for your own good, citizen. It is absolutely illegal for a wholesaler to import drugs for resale, though. This would essentially destroy big pharma's monopoly overnight, and it is absurd that this is rarely discussed. American consumers essentially subsidize the cost of medicine for the rest of the world (similar to military protection), and it is a large reason we spend more per capita with worse health than every other peer. Interestingly, Trump is one of the few candidates that has ever pledged allow imports and cut off the pharma industry embargo. See point #7 on his page's plan for health care reform. Hillary's plan says vague things like 'more affordable health care for all working families' with no description of how this will be accomplished.
Spooky23 10y ago
Yes, absolutely. But the insurance won't pay for those. Many self-employed folks import drugs from Canada. For awhile, local governments in my area were doing it as well.
- toomuchtodo 10y ago
  When my disabled mother was covered by Indiana Medicaid (which provided abysmal coverage), before the ACA took effect, I would import most of her drugs from Canada (except those that the DEA would not look fondly upon, those had to come from the local CVS). It saved me thousands of dollars per month.
  - matt_wulfeck 10y ago
    Did the Aca specifically forbid you from importing drugs?
    - toomuchtodo 10y ago
      It didn't, but the copays are now so much lower due to subsidies the ACA provides (compared to Indiana Medicaid), it makes no sense to import said drugs. If you live in a state which refused ACA subsidies, this plan of action would still make sense. Or moving to another country with cheaper/universal healthcare depending on your income arrangement (disability/social security).

mcculley 10y ago

I would be surprised if there aren't obstacles to importing drugs that require a prescription.

hiram112 10y ago
There are. It is mostly illegal to import drugs from overseas. There used to be 90 day exemptions that did in fact lead to many older Americans creating tour groups with the express purpose of crossing into either Canada or Mexico to purchase 90 days worth of drugs. Big pharma lobbied to end this practice and it appears to be in a bit of a gray zone. When it comes to visa workers, we know that the rallying cry is 'severe shortage of skilled workers'. The analog talking point for drug imports is 'safety - think of poor grandma ordering some blood pressure meds and instead getting fakes or worse'. We can't allow imports and it's for your own good, citizen. It is absolutely illegal for a wholesaler to import drugs for resale, though. This would essentially destroy big pharma's monopoly overnight, and it is absurd that this is rarely discussed. American consumers essentially subsidize the cost of medicine for the rest of the world (similar to military protection), and it is a large reason we spend more per capita with worse health than every other peer. Interestingly, Trump is one of the few candidates that has ever pledged allow imports and cut off the pharma industry embargo. See point #7 on his page's plan for health care reform. Hillary's plan says vague things like 'more affordable health care for all working families' with no description of how this will be accomplished.

Spooky23 10y ago

Yes, absolutely. But the insurance won't pay for those. Many self-employed folks import drugs from Canada. For awhile, local governments in my area were doing it as well.

toomuchtodo 10y ago
When my disabled mother was covered by Indiana Medicaid (which provided abysmal coverage), before the ACA took effect, I would import most of her drugs from Canada (except those that the DEA would not look fondly upon, those had to come from the local CVS). It saved me thousands of dollars per month.
- matt_wulfeck 10y ago
  Did the Aca specifically forbid you from importing drugs?
  - toomuchtodo 10y ago
    It didn't, but the copays are now so much lower due to subsidies the ACA provides (compared to Indiana Medicaid), it makes no sense to import said drugs. If you live in a state which refused ACA subsidies, this plan of action would still make sense. Or moving to another country with cheaper/universal healthcare depending on your income arrangement (disability/social security).