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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Canadians are in a kerfuffle over the Trump administration's preliminary plan to allow Americans to import lower-cost prescription medications from Canada.
The plan was announced July 31 and is part of the administration's long-sought effort to drag down the US's skyrocketing drug prices. But it's a long way from being a reality. Even if the plan does pan out, it will likely be years before regulators review, approve, and scale up efforts to import drugs.
Still, Canadians are infuriated by the idea and already brainstorming ways to toss it down the garburator, according to a report by health-news outlet STAT. Many fear that American importation would exacerbate current drug shortages in Canada.
"You are coming as Americans to poach our drug supply, and I don't have any polite words for that," Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa told STAT. Prof. Attaran went on to refer to the plan as "deplorable" and "atrociously unethical." "Our drugs are not for you, period."
[...] On Monday, August 12, Canada's Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor was set to meet with pharmacists, patients, and industry officials to discuss a response to the US plan, according to STAT. Petitpas Taylor has pledged to "ensure there are no adverse effects to the supply or cost of prescription drugs in Canada."
In order to protect Canadians, some advocates and policy experts suggested that Canada could begin controlling the export of pharmaceuticals, pass new laws simply banning exporting drugs meant for Canadians, or impose new tariffs.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Tuesday August 13 2019, @03:22PM (4 children)
But remember kids, just because our neighbor's system worked better than ours is no reason to adopt it. Anybody proposing that the United States adopt some sort of publicly run health care system for everybody is a radical who is simply using health care as a the wedge to turn the USA into Stalin's USSR, complete with gulags and show trials and summary executions. You wouldn't want to support *gasp* Socialism, would you?
And if you aren't the sort that is scared by that kind of talk: Any office-holder or candidate proposing the United States adopt some sort of publicly run health care system for everybody is a radical who will be unable to appeal to the voters of middle America, and supporting them is helping $THEIR_PARTY gain/retain power. Sure, it's great ideals and all, but we have to think of the bigger picture, and the bigger picture is that $OUR_PARTY should be in power. Now, I know you don't like how $OUR_PARTY is rather awful, but do you want $THEIR_PARTY, who is evil incarnate, to win?
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @07:15PM (3 children)
Evil incarnate? I don't think it's that sophisticated.
More like, they're the other team and we've got to support our team no matter what.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @10:16PM
Yes, the "stalwarts" : https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/colydn/shareblue_already_attempting_to_correct_the_record/ [reddit.com]
(Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Tuesday August 13 2019, @10:52PM
Which "other team"? The Democratic politicians supported the disaster of enslavement to the insurance industry commonly known as Obamacare (and explicitly rejected more centralized options), while the Republicans for the most part still continue to oppose any move toward more centralized management of healthcare.
Sure, some Dems are now changing their minds. But neither major "team" has a good record on any of this.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Wednesday August 14 2019, @06:07PM
The propaganda definitely treats the other side as evil incarnate. It makes it easier to rally the base.
And the way they do it is no more sophisticated, really, than the efforts to drum up hatred for, say, the New York Yankees in order to sell more sports tickets.
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin