Kentucky wants your sinuses to pay more...

Oh, Kentucky, please don't make it harder on those in the Ohio Valley. My current health insurance doesn't cover prescriptions. I wish it did but it doesn't. I'd be far happier if this bill fails. I don't want to pay $300 for an office visit to have a doctor tell me what I already know and then pay a larger amount on prescriptions when it was cheaper over-the-counter.

This bill needs to die. I recognize that meth labs are a problem in Kentucky. There's no denying that. But why do our sinuses have to suffer because of cracking done on drugs in this way. Our sinuses should not have to suffer. They did nothing wrong aside from contracting something that made them congested to begin with.

Proponents say Kentucky would likely see its own sharp declines if it passes a similar proposal this legislative session. But opponents of House Bill 15 and Senate Bill 45 say requiring a prescription for popular cold medicine would be too costly for cold and allergy sufferers and lower the state’s tax revenue. Over-the-counter medication is taxed, but prescription medicine is not.

They also argue the current system of electronically tracking purchases of cold medicine such as Sudafed is working, despite an explosion of meth labs in recent years.

The fight over what to do with Kentucky’s meth lab incidents, which numbered more than 1,000 in 2010, promises to be a key issue when the legislature returns to Frankfort on Feb. 1. It also may be the most costly battle of the 2010 General Assembly.