FDA Overhauling is More Important Than a National Healthcare Plan

Instead of presidential hopefuls telling us how they are going to correct our current healthcare system by instituting a national health plan, they should be talking about correcting the problems and woes within the FDA. While some may think I'm out of touch with reality, I see little benefit and lots of additional taxes coming from a national healthcare system. As I see it, politicians are telling the American public what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear.

If you think that I'm just another strong conservative that is against change, give some thought to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report concerning the status of the FDA. In that report, the GAO concludes that at its current staffing levels, the FDA would need 13 years to inspect every foreign drug manufacturing facility that sends products into this country. Furthermore, it would need 27 years to inspect all foreign medical device plants; and 1,900 years to check every foreign food processor.

The same GAO report found that the FDA is so short-handed and in need of funds that it can't even inspect U.S. medical device makers as often as they should. In fact, FDA staff now inspect U.S. companies that make medical devices such as pacemakers once every three years instead of every two, as required by its own rules. And, the situation is even worse when it comes to the inspection of foreign-made medical devices and prescription drugs.

Without hesitation, I would point my finger at our elected representatives in Washington to shoulder the blame. Over the past two decades, Congress has passed 125 statutes – adding a significant workload onto the FDA – with no provisions for additional funding or manpower to handle it. The only function of the FDA for which Congress has ensured adequate funding, is the approval of new drugs. Our lawmakers did that by requiring that drug companies themselves carry much of the cost, while doing little to ensure the safety of drugs already on the market. Adding insult to injury, with 80% of all drugs sold in the U.S. being made overseas, the number of import inspectors has plummeted from 531 in 2003, to 380 in 2006. In 2007, the FDA was only able to inspect 30 of several thousand foreign drug-making facilities.

As it currently stands, Congress is failing to protect U.S. citizens from tainted drugs and defective medical devices. Consequently, I'm not sure what makes them think they could effectively overhaul an entire healthcare system.

Personally, I would rather see my tax dollars go toward funding the FDA rather than a national healthcare system where I will be placed on a waiting list to receive a defective pacemaker or a contaminated prescription.