The Star Tribune reports that “Minnesotans buying mail-order prescription drugs from Canada are having medications confiscated by U.S. Customs in escalating numbers….It is unclear why federal authorities have increased confiscations now.
Charlotte Bystrom of Crane Lake, Minn., was expecting a package of six medications in mid-January. Instead, the 69-year-old got a letter from U.S. Customs and Border Protection telling her the $600 shipment had been ‘intercepted.’ …
‘I thought I would be in jail,’ Bystrom said. ‘I could order a dress from Canada or shoes from Canada. I could order nearly everything I wanted from Canada -- except drugs.’
‘I felt like the drug companies are [calling] the shots here,’ she added. ‘They're controlling our government. I felt violated, like something was stolen from me.’ “
Think about this. Seniors are rejecting the feds’ Medicare prescription drug plan in surprising numbers. Many who accept the plan are terribly confused by how to use it. In designing the plan, the feds gave up the chance to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. But now when a 69-year old woman (and many others like her) pursues what she thinks is a better approach for her own health and purse, her shipment is seized – like she’s a criminal.
This is one little example of why I feel ill when I hear medical marketers call this the era of consumer-driven health care.
Posted by schwitz at February 6, 2006 07:33 AM | TrackBack