Sen. Bernie Sanders is planning a campaign trip to Canada this weekend in hopes of spotlighting the "outrageously high cost of prescription drugs" in the United States.
"We pay by far more than any other country on Earth, and yet last year the top 10 drug companies made $69 billion in profits," the Vermont independent and Democratic presidential candidate told CNN's Poppy Harlow Tuesday. "One out of five Americans cannot even afford to fill the prescriptions that their doctor prescribes. That is pretty crazy."
Sanders said his campaign will go into Ontario, "and we're going to buy insulin in Canada for one-tenth the price it is in the United States of America."
The issue is one that must be dealt with, said Sanders, adding that lawmakers must "take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry."
He also rejected the idea that it would cost more, under a Medicare for all plan, for people to remain with their own doctor if that physician charges beyond what the federal program would pay.
"The system is going to work similarly to what exists in Canada, and what we are going to see is an expansion of Medicare where almost all doctors are now in Medicare to cover every man, woman, and child in this country," said Sanders. "What we are talking about is a four-year transition period. As you know, the eligibility for Medicare is 65. We take it down at the end of the first year. To 55 next year, 45 next year, and then we cover every man, woman, and child.
"And by the way, what we also do is expand Medicare coverage for seniors to include dental care, hearing aids, and eyeglasses."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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