Senate Leaders Not Courting Votes For Drug Re-Importation Amendment

Senate leadership has pledged to allow a vote on re-importing prescription drugs from Canada as an amendment to the health care reform bill, but they're not working to make sure it passes, the number-two Senate Democrat said Wednesday night.

On top of the billions it would save consumers, the re-importation measure introduced by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) would save the federal government $19 billion over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Dorgan's amendment would also bust the deal the White House cut with Big Pharma, which has vowed to kill the re-importation provision in "hand to hand combat."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has himself voted to allow drug re-importation in the past, but with health care negotiations still tenuous, he's avoiding this particular fistfight. Reid's number two, Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), told reporters on his way out of a Wednesday-night meeting with Senate Democrats that leadership is not whipping Democrats to make sure that the re-importation measure will pass.

"No. Well, we asked, but we're not -- there was a question asked of the Members through staff as to how they were inclined, but it isn't like we're buttonholing people who are voting yes or no and saying, 'Vote the other way,'" Durbin said.

Over the weekend, Dorgan said Reid promised him a vote Monday. It was supposed to happen Wednesday and didn't. But Durbin said that was an issue of procedure, not about putting off a vote on the Dorgan Amendment.

"I don't think it is. I don't think it is," Durbin said. "We've got to work it out with the Republicans. We can't get a vote unless they get a vote, and so on."

When it does come time to vote on re-importation, however, the White House-PhRMA deal may be a bigger obstacle than Republicans. Dorgan's amendment is also championed by health care linchpin Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who pledged last weekend to work to garner other GOP votes. Republican Sens. Charles Grassley (Iowa), John McCain (Ariz.) and David Vitter (La.) are cosponsoring a bill that would do the same thing.

Dorgan, for his part, said Saturday that the White House had not discouraged his push for drug re-importation, which President Obama supported as a senator and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel advocated while in the House.

Comments

[Runruff]

01:46 PM on 12/10/2009

Cosopt- eye drop treatment for glaucoma $750.00 per ounce in America.

Same product in Canada: $125.00 per ounce.

Just one example.

[TucsonKK]

10:58 AM on 12/10/2009

This is a great idea plus money saver and help for people but this can't pass because of these reasons. Big bucks went into pockets last night the more support for amendment the more dollars.

How sad that this Congress cares about money more than people.

We should elect only true independents and get rid of the nutty religious party of NO and the party of BRING DOWN OB and the weak, scared, DEMS.

[Vyvjala]

10:44 AM on 12/10/2009

Watched the debate last night, Dorgan's idea seems like the right direction to take.

[LonnieJenkins]

10:33 AM on 12/10/2009

Now this is change I can believe in--LMAO.

[hypnotoad72]

10:08 AM on 12/10/2009

Were they exported in the first place, in order to make them re-imported? Most drugs are made in India or China.

Besides, if US citizens get to pay the same price for drugs as the rest of the world, the prices will go up and the rest of the world won't like that. Given the much higher prices we get to pay, we effectively subsidize the rest of the world. And yet the rest of the world is said to hate us. I wonder why?

[duhtruth]

09:49 AM on 12/10/2009

The bottom line is very simple. Congressional folks are there for one reason, bucks. This situation tells every American that green is the color that they honor. Unless we take our government back, we will continue to drift into a BANANA REPUBLIC.

[hypnotoad72]

10:09 AM on 12/10/2009

I saw a Banana Republic. It was at the shopping mall. Nice clothing, if you can afford it...

[den1953]

09:22 AM on 12/10/2009

One thing this health care bill has done is marked every politician with there special interest sugar daddy's are!

[rchwel]

09:46 AM on 12/10/2009

If only the illiterate voter will remember next November that their Senator sold them out !

[Margaretpoa]

08:48 AM on 12/10/2009

What? The Congressional Leaders aren't working to help the American people and cut into pharma profits? That's right up there with the breaking news flash that the GOP is going to obstruct.

[bluguy8]

08:46 AM on 12/10/2009

the public should be voting on these issues. Obviously the Senate & House can't because they all have issues. we don't so it should be up to us.Its great for the House and Senate to have a say when its for our good. But since that seems to have changed do to greed. They should have no say at all

[bluguy8]

08:43 AM on 12/10/2009

of course they don't want to pass it. The greedy fu**ers are all filling up their pockets with cash.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

08:37 AM on 12/10/2009

Re-importation means that Canadian pharmaceuticals are exported from the US. Canadian FDA standards are as stringent as ours and if they weren't, they could not be sold here. My question is where is the "invisible hand of the free market", guess what it doesn’t exist. Pharmaceuticals are a product like any other, as long as they are approved for use in the US, one should be able to buy them. As it stands Canada, as well as Japan and the European countries imposes a ceiling on drug prices and Americans make up the difference.

[hypnotoad72]

10:10 AM on 12/10/2009

The invisible hand and other benefits don't exist when it might cost the string pullers some of their profits. Of course, eventually they'll run out of means to exploit and they too will lose all in this broken-down system.

[vincealy]

08:32 AM on 12/10/2009

This idea was supported by the President when he was a candidate .; now... same old story ...

[hypnotoad72]

10:11 AM on 12/10/2009

Right now, it's the Senate counting the numbers. What President Obama signs, and why he said he signed it (or not) will be when we get to determine "same old story" is true (or not).

[Danko]

08:13 AM on 12/10/2009

What a ridiculous idea, to have to re-import from Canada to cut costs. Wouldn't it make more sense to fix this problem at the source.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

08:36 AM on 12/10/2009

You would think.

[bluguy8]

08:43 AM on 12/10/2009

you would think , but its seems that good old American try has gotten very stupid

[pvaz]

07:43 AM on 12/10/2009

The 80 Billion promised for health reform, hell they've already made that up through price increases, the last eight months. Pass it.

[biabouman41]

07:38 AM on 12/10/2009

Issues like these need to come to a vote so we can see who our Senators and Congress people truly represent. Us or the Corporations?
Barney Frank on the Financial Committee is also struggling to get financial reform legislation through, because those representing Big Banks are fighting a rear guard action on behalf the Banks.