FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — U.S. Sen. Angus King is on the road in Maine for Congress’s summer recess, and his first stop in Aroostook County Monday was I Care Pharmacy, one of the state’s few independent pharmacies.
King said he has been meeting with leaders from community hospitals, clinics and other providers this year in an effort to “understand how the pieces fit together” in the nation’s current health care system.
In Maine, one small piece of the system is I Care Pharmacy, an 11-year-old mail-order pharmacy co-founded by Fort Fairfield native Terry Greenier.
“Business has been steady, and we’re expanding,” said Greenier, now the president of the company.
I Care Pharmacy has 24 employees working in the renovated former fire station in downtown Fort Fairfield, serving customers primarily in Maine, as well as other New England states.
In a competitive marketplace dominated by multinational corporations, I Care has survived with a mix of old and new approaches, Greenier said. The pharmacy fills prescription drugs by mail — a less expensive option than brick-and-mortar drug stores — while offering online options for filling refills and strong customer service, Greenier said.
King said he thinks I Care Pharmacy is an example of positive economic development as well as an important part of the health care system.
“The pharmaceutical industry is very complicated and there’s a lot of consolidation,” King said. “We want to be sure that independent pharmacies have a chance to not get squeezed out by large entities out of state.”
King said he’s involved with several pieces of legislation that are aimed at reforming aspects of the pharmaceutical industry and reducing drug costs.
One of King’s provisions, added as an amendment to the pending Defense Authorization Act, would require drug companies using federal research funds to sell pharmaceuticals in the U.S. at a price comparable to other industrialized countries.
“Basically, they can’t overcharge the U.S. versus what they charge other places,” King said of the amendment. “We pay pretty much the highest prices anywhere in the world.”
King also is involved with legislation that would allow the importation of pharmaceuticals from Canada — where some Mainers currently travel to purchase lower-cost medicines — and legislation that would allow the Medicare program to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.
“If Medicare paid the same price that the [Veteran’s Administration] and Medicaid pays, it would save the federal government something like $25 billion a year,” King said.
