[ExI] Why is “cost of living” such a big problem?

[John Clark]

On Tue, Nov 3, 2026 at 4:23 PM <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:

*>>…Spike, it is illegal for a US citizen who is living in the US to travel
>> to Canada (or any other foreign country) and buy his prescription drugs
>> there where they are MUCH cheaper and then return home. The MAGA people
>> don't want that law changed. Do you?  John K Clark*
>
>
>
> *> Ja.  That should be legal.*
>

*Maybe there's hope for you yet.  *



> *> What I don’t know and Gemini didn’t say is if the restrictions are
> merely regulations made by the FDA or if it is law passed by congress. *
>

*You didn't read what Gemini said, he already answered that question;
"nearly all imported prescription drugs violate the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act".  **In practice, FDA enforcement guidance has sometimes
permitted personal-use quantities under specific, narrow circumstances *



> * > If congress never acted on that, it isn’t a law, so nothing needs to
> be changed.*
>

*It is a law and it needs to be changed. With the new Democrat controlled
Congress a new law making it legal could pass but I don't know if
the Democrats will be able to overcome a Trump veto with a 2/3 vote in the
House and the Senate. It's ridiculous that a drug that was discovered and
manufactured in the USA costs FAR more in the US than it does in Canada. I
asked Gemini for a few examples:  *

              Examples of Price Disparities (Estimated Out-of-Pocket / List
Price)
*Medication* *Common Indication* *U.S. Retail Price (Approx.)* *Canada
Retail Price (Approx.)*
*Ozempic* (Semaglutide) Type 2 Diabetes / Weight Loss ~$950 – $1,000 /
month ~$300
– $330 / month
*Eliquis* (Apixaban) Blood Thinner / Stroke Prevention ~$550 – $800 /
month ~$130
– $150 / month
*Lantus / Humalog* (Insulin) Diabetes ~$280 – $350 / vial ~$30 – $45 / vial
*EpiPen* (Epinephrine 2-pack) Severe Allergic Reactions ~$550 – $650 ~$100
– $150
*Xarelto* (Rivaroxaban) Blood Thinner ~$590 / month ~$135 / month
*Advair Diskus* (Fluticasone/Salmeterol) Asthma / COPD ~$350 – $400 /
inhaler ~$80 – $160 / inhaler
*Januvia* (Sitagliptin) Type 2 Diabetes ~$320 / month ~$165 /

*> John do you know anyone who has been prosecuted for bringing home 90 day
> supplies?*


*No not personally, but you seem to be implying that in this case it would
be OK for border guards to look the other way, but when it comes to illegal
immigration the only enforcement guideline is that the law must be followed
TO THE LETTER. So separate that nursing mother from her children and ship
her off to Guatemala, and take that 30 year-old man, who was born in
Columbia but entered the country illegally with his parents when he was
only one year old, slap him in handcuffs and shove him on a cargo plane
back to Columbia even though he doesn't know a word of Spanish, and even
though he's married with children and has a good job and has never received
so much as a parking ticket in 29 years. *

*The American people don't like that sort of cruelty, and that's one reason
MAGA politicians got their ass beaten yesterday.*


*John K Clark*
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