The agency’s decision could change the way Americans obtain prescription medicines and could reduce their cost.

Archive link. https://archive.is/N4Rqj

Some personal editorializing: This is a pretty remarkable first because of how captive we Americans are to pharma prices. Famously, when Medicare Part D was brought into existence by law it restricted the federal government from negotiating Part D drug prices. To me, shopping for drugs in Canada is tackling the symptom and ignores the cause. I wonder if this gets more traction with more states how it might affect drug prices in Canada, too.

The real solution to all this, of course, would be nationalize the healthcare industry in all aspects and to create a single payer healthcare system.

  • @stoly
    3•1 year ago

    I literally at least once a year lament the shortsightedness of the ultra-libertarians who founded the country. Imagine what we could have had as part of the Commonwealth over centuries!

    • @[email protected]
      2•1 year ago

      I’m guessing:

      • France probably would’ve sold Louisiana to Spain instead because they were enemies with England
      • Spain would’ve controlled the West Coast, at least all of California
      • Mexico might be a major power, controlling up to California and east to the Mississippi
      • Hitler probably would’ve won against the UK, not sure if they’d cross the Atlantic

      Then again, there’s a lot of complexities when dealing with revisionist history.

        • @[email protected]
          3•1 year ago

          Perhaps, or maybe he would’ve been born, but he doesn’t gain power. The US had a big part in the WWI reparations discussion, and the UK likely would’ve struck a very different deal. Hitler played off that deal to get power.

          Or maybe France would’ve stayed a monarchy because the US didn’t show that revolution was effective. That directly relates to the later conflict between Prussia and France, which could’ve been more or less severe.

          So yeah, Commonwealth US is an interesting discussion, but ultimately very complicated.