In 2003, more than 100,000 Pennsylvania senior citizens were added to the PACE and PACENET prescription rolls through an increase in income eligibility limits. It was an important and needed expansion of the program. But, Pennsylvania cannot claim victory on remedying the exorbitant cost of prescription drugs until medicine is accessible and affordable to every Pennsylvanian in need.

Canada Factor

Many Pennsylvanians have already taken steps to guarantee affordable prescription drugs by traveling 350 miles to Canada. We should not be forcing people to make that trip, or purchase their medicine from risky Internet Web sites.

I am calling on Governor Rendell to create a re-importation program for Pennsylvania that would guarantee safety while delivering real savings. This isn't a new idea. In 2003 the United States Congress overwhelmingly voted for re-importation on the national level, but last year's Medicare drug benefit put a wall up at the border.

Pennsylvania would not be alone in this effort. States like Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin are taking steps to start programs on their own.

Best Price Practices

Best price practices protect consumers, provide access to medicine and save tax dollars.

State programs should receive the same rebates that are received under Medicaid Best Price.

Pennsylvania receives BEST PRICE in the PACE Program at savings up to $90 million a year.

Pennsylvania should receive BEST PRICE for all the medicines it buys for state-covered drug programs.

It's time to be aggressively discussing this with the pharmaceutical industry and embrace Best Price practices as part of the solution in making pharmaceuticals readily available to more people.