I’ve seen stories like this before and have read accounts here about people who buy insulin from Canada due to the price advantage and ultimately much less hassle. This video is about people with diabetes linking up in their hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and taking a six-hour shared road trip to Ontario, Canada, to stock up on insulin priced at only 10% of the same formulation as in the US.
Seeing the video drives home the point that these are real people, like you and me. I admire their pluck and willingness to act. It would be better if their road trip was not necessary.
Although not in the same boat as them, I buy my Fiasp from Canada, out of pocket.
I pay more because I have it shipped, and they mark it up because they know this.
Still, after shipping, I pay around $57 per vial of Fiasp. Which is considerably less than buying it here in the states! But I have to buy 9 vials at a time to get that level of discount.
I have VA, and they do not yet have Fiasp in their formulary. Who knows how long it will take them to add it. They guessed about 4 to 5 years.
It’s too bad that we didn’t model the Medicare Part D drug coverage legislation after the VA. They can use their volume buying power in the market to reduce cost. The Part D law prohibited the use of large volume purchases to drive prices down. That law was a gift to Big Pharma.
It’s nice that the Canada option provides an affordable alternative while you await the VA’s inclusion of Fiasp in their formulary.
I agree it’s not right Jim. But it’s not right that people outside of the US wait for months for things like MRI’s. Socialized medicine kills by the omission of timely care. Rationing medical care means those that need something done NOW will either suffer, die or be seriously impacted by delays in tests and procedures.
Countless people come to the US for medical care. Some Americans go over the borders to get cheaper meds. It’s all not great, is it?
That is against US law. You can legally get 90 day supply for yourself from Canada but not for anybody else. The law is very clear on that point. My concern would be going up with a large group on a bus, US customs could be sticklers when the bus re-enters into the US due to the large amount being imported into the US, especially since it can be expected that 90 supply requirement will most certainly be well padded. I drive up and pick mine up right over the border, the pharmacy is no farther than 800 feet or so over the line and the customs officer always asks a bunch of interesting questions but has never even asked to see my prescription which you also need in your name to match your passport.
Thanks @Terry4! Great video showing our reality! Why oh why can’t the US of A get on board and do for us what Canada is doing for … the world?
@Dave44 I hear what you are saying, Canadians, with socialized medicine, can’t just schedule an MRI (or surgery) and expect it to be within the next few days or week, but may have to wait a year or longer. You’re right … “it’s all not great”!
Somehow we need to blend both ideas, both philosophies, into one; then, we’ll get somewhere!
Parents are their children’s legal guardians. Is it illegal for a parent/guardian to purchase medications for their child who is not of legal age? I can’t see that legal fine point standing up in court.
Dave, I understand your point. And as a Canadian, we (those living here) often have delays that are unacceptable. This would be for everything ranging from diagnostics (ultrasound, echos, CT and MRI’s) to procedures (any sort of orthopedic replacements, surgeries, etc).
I’ve travelled to Mayo Rochester twice for over a months worth of diagnostics so I’m quite familiar with the costs Canadian citizens are willing to bear for their health and survival.
And yet somehow your government(s) allows the large Insulin manufacturers to charge you in excess of 10x’s what the identical product is sold for in most of the rest of the world.
The drugs in Canada are not subsidized by the government or socialized medicine. It’s an arrangement Lilly and the other manufacturers entered into years ago to sell for “reasonable prices”.
It is not the method but principle of universal coverage and the execution. There are more people on socialized medicine (i.e. Medicare) in the United States than the entire population of Canada. It is essentially the exact same system we have, but even better because it covers prescription drugs and CGMs. I think a lot of this is overblown though, because I doubt you would find one Canadian who would trade our system for the American health care system, and most people cannot afford to travel south for procedures and do not. Private health care rations through cost. Our health outcomes, and the outcomes in many countries with “socialized medicine” exceed the United States. Does that mean it’s perfect? Absolutely not, but I have no doubt the United States could expand Medicare for all and do a far better job of it than Canada or the UK.
I agree with your analysis. We in the US need to accept that some countries take care of their resident’s health better than we do. Some of the US health care outcomes, like infant mortality, ranks us behind all countries with comparable economies. Yet we pay far more per capita for health care than any other country on earth.
Also let’s not forget the Americans who come to Canada to use some of our excellent facilities, even the ones who claim to hate “socialized medicine” the most…
Of course, we make sure to make him feel like home and take his money when he arrives!
Statement of Purpose: To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to lower prescription drug prices for Americans by importing drugs from Canada.
Vote Counts: YEAs 46 NAYs 52 Not Voting 2
So we know who the 52 Traitors are both red team and blue team and for some reason these people continue to have political careers. They are such snakes.
“no one is happy” is not factual. There are plenty of people happy with their health care system. Just ask those who got reamed by Obamacare and the false promise of “if you like your doctor…”. And weirdly enough, now there are those who are complaining if Obamacare is finished. So it seems like there have been quite a lot who are happy with their health care after all. I can’t complain about Medicare as it gives me better coverage (along with the supplement) than what I had with a number of common group health plans.
