6 ms·

Utah sponsors employee travel to Mexico to buy medicines in cheap

26 points by seshagiric 7y ago

Scoundreller 7y ago
> There, an escort picks her up and takes her across the border to a Tijuana hospital [...] I wouldn't phrase that this way...
PeterisP 7y ago
This seems ridiculous. If a state wants to do something like this, can't they just import the medicines directly? After all, if any regulation restricts it, the state should have the power to correct that regulation.
- foxyv 7y ago
  This would constitute interstate commerce which is explicitly mentioned in the US constitution as a power reserved to the Federal government. If Utah wanted to manufacture Utah only non-patented pharmaceuticals then they could escape that regulation. However importing across state lines is within the jurisdiction of the Federal government.
kbrwn 7y ago
Disgusting that the America govt does nothing while every other major power is able to get prescription drug prices under control.
- tbihl 7y ago
  American government does more than anyone else. They provide the system with fuel by providing a sufficiently large base of price-insensitive customers that reasonable numbers don't have to be used for drug prices.
  - ta999999171 7y ago
    Wrong. Health "Insurance" abstracts these costs away, and works as a very effective method of locking in those inflated costs with no consumer backlash, because many don't connect the dots, and the ones who do feel they have no other option. It's a racket, acknowledge it.
    - tbihl 7y ago
      You're not disagreeing with me.
    - foxyv 7y ago
      Even worse, health insurance has an incentive to increase costs because of the 80/20 rule. If the 80% costs go up, so does the 20% profits they are allowed to keep.
- eru 7y ago
  The Utah government _is_ doing something. It's right in the article. And for the rest: part of the problem is that the government is doing stuff, instead of getting out of the way..
LinuxBender 7y ago
Slightly off topic, how do companies find pharmaceutical companies in Mexico that have what they need? I would like to be a "proper prepper", which is easy to do for all things except BP medication. Pharmacies won't be available if society is ever put on hold and pharmacies won't sell me a case or crate. Would I need to become a lab or start a pharmacy myself?

26 points by seshagiric 7y ago

> There, an escort picks her up and takes her across the border to a Tijuana hospital [...] I wouldn't phrase that this way...

PeterisP 7y ago

This seems ridiculous. If a state wants to do something like this, can't they just import the medicines directly? After all, if any regulation restricts it, the state should have the power to correct that regulation.

foxyv 7y ago
This would constitute interstate commerce which is explicitly mentioned in the US constitution as a power reserved to the Federal government. If Utah wanted to manufacture Utah only non-patented pharmaceuticals then they could escape that regulation. However importing across state lines is within the jurisdiction of the Federal government.

kbrwn 7y ago

Disgusting that the America govt does nothing while every other major power is able to get prescription drug prices under control.

tbihl 7y ago
American government does more than anyone else. They provide the system with fuel by providing a sufficiently large base of price-insensitive customers that reasonable numbers don't have to be used for drug prices.
- ta999999171 7y ago
  Wrong. Health "Insurance" abstracts these costs away, and works as a very effective method of locking in those inflated costs with no consumer backlash, because many don't connect the dots, and the ones who do feel they have no other option. It's a racket, acknowledge it.
  - tbihl 7y ago
    You're not disagreeing with me.
  - foxyv 7y ago
    Even worse, health insurance has an incentive to increase costs because of the 80/20 rule. If the 80% costs go up, so does the 20% profits they are allowed to keep.
eru 7y ago
The Utah government _is_ doing something. It's right in the article. And for the rest: part of the problem is that the government is doing stuff, instead of getting out of the way..

LinuxBender 7y ago

Slightly off topic, how do companies find pharmaceutical companies in Mexico that have what they need? I would like to be a "proper prepper", which is easy to do for all things except BP medication. Pharmacies won't be available if society is ever put on hold and pharmacies won't sell me a case or crate. Would I need to become a lab or start a pharmacy myself?