John B. Breaux: “I was thinking about the argument that we had on the Senate floor about importing medical supplies in terms of…”

“I was thinking about the argument that we had on the Senate floor about importing medical supplies in terms of prescription drugs from foreign countries into the United States because they might be cheaper. I could get open-heart surgery in Mexico for a lot cheaper than at Oschners in New Orleans or at the Mayo Clinic or at Johns Hopkins or any other fine institution in the United States. It would be half as expensive. I doubt many Americans want to put their lives in the hands of people they know are not regulated. I could buy many items in countries around the world, and many Third World countries, which would be a lot cheaper. I remember one time going to Hong Kong. I saw some of the Lacoste shirts with the little alligator. My wife and I were shopping in Hong Kong and they had all these Lacoste shirts. They were $5. I said: That is incredible, a heck of a deal. I will buy a Lacoste alligator shirt for everyone I know for gifts for Christmas. We bought one after another. I bought one or two myself. We came home and the first time I washed the shirt, the alligator fell off. The alligator fell off because it was a counterfeit shirt. The shirt nearly dissolved after the first washing and the alligator drowned in the washer. The product was totally worthless. It was a counterfeit product.”