THE VILLAGES, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in The Villages on Wednesday to announce a new plan he has to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for Floridians.
The governor said he plans to work alongside President Donald Trump's administration to use the authority in the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act to import prescription drugs from Canada, where they cost significantly less than they do in the United States.
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"I'll be working with the Trump adminstration and the Legislature to create a prescription drug importation program to bring Floridians less expensive, FDA-approved prescription drugs from Canada," DeSantis said.
He noted that he spoke with Trump on Sunday and Monday and the president offered his full support and promised that he would take the necessary steps to make sure that Florida can act under this 2003 act, which up until this point hasn't been utilized.
In some cases, DeSantis expects that prescriptions could cost up to 75 percent less. On average, he expects Floridians to save closer to 30, 40 or 50 percent.
"It's a big deal. It's not like I'm giving you a coupon to save 2 percent. It's a big deal," DeSantis said.
He expects the average Floridian to benefit from this program, as well as business owners who provide health insurance to their employees and the state as a whole, which spends tens of millions of dollars on prescriptions for prisoners.
DeSantis provided no timeline for the implementation of this program, but he said he hopes the Legislature will move quickly to make it happen.
DeSantis has made several "major announcements" over the past several weeks, including potential policy changes to medical marijuana, school security, education and more.