TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Rejecting potential changes, the House Appropriations Committee on Monday supported a bill aimed at allowing imported prescription drugs from Canada.
The bill (HB 19), sponsored by Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, would help carry out a proposal by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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Leek said the bill would help consumers who struggle with high drug costs.
“Is it business as usual, or are we going to put patients over profits?” he asked.
The Republican-dominated committee turned down a series of amendments proposed by Rep. Barbara Watson, D-Miami Gardens.
The bill seeks to establish two drug-importation programs, with one of the programs allowing importation from Canada for Medicaid and prison health care. That part of the proposal is dubbed the Canadian Drug Importation Program and would be run by the state Agency for Health Care Administration.
The other program would be known as the International Drug Importation Program. It would be run by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and would be available to individual residents.
Both programs would need approval from the federal government before they could be implemented.
Leek’s bill will next be heard by the House Health & Human Services Committee. Senate committees have not taken up the issue.