Either you or a loved one relies on some form of prescription drug to survive. The problem, however, is many Utahans and others around the country are rationing their prescriptions, some costing their life.
This is because they can no longer afford them, even with health insurance. Some of these prescriptions in the U.S. cost up to nine times as much as other countries.
Utah state Rep. Norman Thurston, R-Provo, proposed a bill, House Bill 267 – Prescription Drug Importation Program — in the 2019 Utah legislative session. This bill would have allowed pharmaceutical companies to get prescription drugs from Canada at a 30 percent lower rate.
A lot of Utahans already are crossing the borders to Mexico or Canada for cheaper prescriptions. This bill would have ensured the safety of these drugs, as well as reduced prices and traveling for these desperate Utahans.
HB267 passed in the House, but later failed in the Senate. Thurston claims his fight to help struggling Utahans by reducing the costs of pharmaceuticals is not over. As a struggling Type 1 diabetic, I ask for increased efforts to better support this issue next legislative session.
Brooke Boyd, Farmington
