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Published Monday, August 31, 2020 10:23AM EDTLast Updated Monday, August 31, 2020 12:16PM EDT
Caitlin Hu
"Want to hear the joke about insulin?" goes the bleak gag about America's drug prices. "You have to go to Canada to get it."
But even that's not an option anymore.
Pandemic travel restrictions have made Americans prisoners of their country. Even within North America, Mexico and Canada have closed thousands of kilometres of border to all but essential travel, roiling plans for vacation, work, and school. For cash-strapped Americans, it has also cut off access to medicines and health-care services that they can't afford at home -- at a time when money is tighter than ever.
Many medicines and medical services are cheaper in neighbouring Canada and Mexico, thanks to price controls and the power of the U.S. dollar. The difference is great enough that U.S. insurer PEHP, which covers Utah's state employees, offers partially paid trips to Vancouver and Tijuana "to help you save money on your prescriptions."
In popular Mexican resort towns like Cabo San Lucas on the West Coast, or Tulum on the East Coast, pharmacies, doctors and dentists targeting U.S. clientele dot the main drag, their prices on bright display. And the difference between those prices and the costs of the same drugs at U.S. pharmacies can mean life or death.
... U.S. President Donald Trump has called to allow larger scale importation from Canada, among a raft of recent proposals to reduce the prices of certain U.S. drugs. But that's unlikely to make a dent in the U.S. market, Saini says: "Canada is a country of about 30 million people. It doesn't have enough medication to provide all those prescriptions for the U.S. -- a nation 10 times the size."
Some Canadian health industry groups and patients agree. Since 2019, they've warned that Trump's importation plan could lead to drug shortages for Canadians -- a fear likely sharpened after witnessing global shortages of vital medical equipment in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
... As the pandemic wears on, the options are dwindling for Americans who can't afford to be sick in the United States -- especially after the cratering economy erased nearly 13 million jobs, taking health insurance options with them.
Caitlin Hu
"Want to hear the joke about insulin?" goes the bleak gag about America's drug prices. "You have to go to Canada to get it."
But even that's not an option anymore.
Pandemic travel restrictions have made Americans prisoners of their country. Even within North America, Mexico and Canada have closed thousands of kilometres of border to all but essential travel, roiling plans for vacation, work, and school. For cash-strapped Americans, it has also cut off access to medicines and health-care services that they can't afford at home -- at a time when money is tighter than ever.
Many medicines and medical services are cheaper in neighbouring Canada and Mexico, thanks to price controls and the power of the U.S. dollar. The difference is great enough that U.S. insurer PEHP, which covers Utah's state employees, offers partially paid trips to Vancouver and Tijuana "to help you save money on your prescriptions."
In popular Mexican resort towns like Cabo San Lucas on the West Coast, or Tulum on the East Coast, pharmacies, doctors and dentists targeting U.S. clientele dot the main drag, their prices on bright display. And the difference between those prices and the costs of the same drugs at U.S. pharmacies can mean life or death.
... U.S. President Donald Trump has called to allow larger scale importation from Canada, among a raft of recent proposals to reduce the prices of certain U.S. drugs. But that's unlikely to make a dent in the U.S. market, Saini says: "Canada is a country of about 30 million people. It doesn't have enough medication to provide all those prescriptions for the U.S. -- a nation 10 times the size."
Some Canadian health industry groups and patients agree. Since 2019, they've warned that Trump's importation plan could lead to drug shortages for Canadians -- a fear likely sharpened after witnessing global shortages of vital medical equipment in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
... As the pandemic wears on, the options are dwindling for Americans who can't afford to be sick in the United States -- especially after the cratering economy erased nearly 13 million jobs, taking health insurance options with them.