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It sounds appealing, the idea that U.S. citizens could obtain quality drugs at a cheaper rate. I must admit that when I first heard this idea I felt as if I would do anything to get cheaper prescription drugs that I need to have in order to live.

As a Type 1 diabetic with no insurance, my prescription drug costs run about $140 every month, and that is without the cost of test strips and needles factored in to the equation. My drug costs are still relatively low compared to some with heart problems and high blood pressure. The costs of such medications can be astronomical. I experienced this first hand when I worked as a Medicaid Specialist.

Most of my 200 clients were very poor and often disabled living off of next to no money. These people would tell me they hadn't taken medications in months because they simply couldn't afford to buy them! This situation is pitiful and I did everything I could to help these people by recommending drug assistance programs that I was familiar with.

With this being said, I still believe that purchasing drugs from another country is a bad idea as is socialized medicine. In my line of work I am constantly running into the problem of a client who is given a prescription for a drug that could really help them, but Medicare won't cover. If the U.S. chooses to let the government regulate our prescription drug use the cost may go down, but we will also sacrifice quality. We would be giving up any chance of obtaining the most innovative effective drugs because the government will only be concerned with what is cheapest. I really do not think this is in our best interest.

When I was newly diagnosed with diabetes I let my hospital doctor know that cost was a big factor. She then prescribed me some kind of cheap pig insulin that was only $16 a bottle at Walmart. I can't tell you what a roller coaster ride my life was while on this stuff. I could barely function at all trying to deal with the extreme highs and lows of my blood sugar. Once while jogging my legs nearly came out from under me because of a sudden drop in blood sugar levels.

This is just an example of how quality of life could suffer in our country. If a smart endocrinologist hadn't taken me off of that junk and put me on some higher quality insulin, there is no way I would have been able to function. So think about this before jumping on the "cheap foreign drugs," bandwagon.

Learn more about this author, Julie Bruce.
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