It's not every day that President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agree. But that's exactly what happened this month, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration green-lit Florida's request to import certain prescription drugs from Canada, where they're cheaper.
"Canada has the same drugs. They're like 25 cents on the dollar," DeSantis said after the FDA approved his plan. "If I can get 25 cents on the dollar, I can save $100 million, $200 million in Florida."
It's hardly that simple. Importing drugs from Canada is a logistical boondoggle that won't deliver the savings its proponents promise.
Eight other states have proposed similar importation plans. Colorado's is under review by the FDA, while the agency recently rejected New Hampshire's and Vermont's. Texas, North Dakota, and Wisconsin are among the other states pushing importation plans.
These plans offer false hope. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that a plan to import drugs nationwide from a group of industrialized nations including Canada would reduce total drug spending by just 1% over a decade.
Florida's importation plan and copycat programs in other states could offer even smaller savings. The Sunshine State's scheme will only affect a small population of patients covered by the state: those with chronic conditions "who are under the care of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Department of Children and Families, Department of Corrections, and Department of Health." Eventually, people on Medicaid will gain access to Canadian meds.
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