# The Canadian Pharmacy Loophole Closes Oct 22 — Here's What's Actually True By Marc Gilman (@marcgilman) · Published 2026-09-26 Canonical: https://voce.com/@marcgilman/canadian-pharmacy-loophole-closes-oct-22-t7ur0p --- # The Canadian Pharmacy Loophole Closes Oct 22 — Here's What's Actually True ## By Marc Gilman **Headlines are calling October 22 the day Americans "lose access" to cheap Canadian prescriptions. The actual customs rule says something narrower — and the difference matters if you're one of the millions who rely on imported medication to afford what you take every month.** **Why This Is Suddenly Everywhere** On June 24, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection published a rule suspending the "de minimis" exemption that's let low-value international mail — generally under $800 — pass through customs with minimal scrutiny for decades. It's a broad rule, aimed mainly at revenue collection and blocking illicit shipments like fentanyl. It doesn't mention Canada or prescription drugs by name. The part that reaches prescription imports is one specific provision: mail shipments regulated by another federal agency — and the FDA regulates imported human drugs — now require formal customs entry instead of the simpler process most low-value mail has used. Formal entry means a licensed customs broker and a financial bond: infrastructure built for commercial freight, not someone's monthly refill. That provision's compliance date is **October 22, 2026**. Several Canadian and international pharmacies have told customers to expect serious disruption, and at least one has described a near-total stop to shipments under the new process. That's a real, credible warning from businesses with direct operational exposure — but it's their assessment of their own model, not a government statement that every shipment is banned. No CBP or FDA announcement says Canadian prescription shipments are categorically prohibited starting October 22. ## **The Part Almost No Coverage Mentions** CBP built a second, lighter pathway specifically for situations like this one. A new voluntary electronic process called **Entry Type 13** began on September 22, 2026 — a month before the deadline everyone's talking about. It lets an eligible shipment file informally instead of going through full formal entry. It still requires a bond, and someone still has to handle the electronic filing, but it's a real, functioning option CBP created alongside the stricter rule, not a footnote. What's genuinely uncertain isn't whether the door is closing — it's how many pharmacies find a workable path through formal entry or Entry Type 13, and how many decide it's not worth the added cost to keep serving individual U.S. patients at today's volume. ## **What Hasn't Actually Changed** It's worth separating this customs change from the FDA's underlying rules on personal drug importation, which are older and already restrictive. In most circumstances, importing a foreign, U.S.-unapproved drug for personal use has never technically been legal — the FDA's discretionary allowance requires the drug treat a serious condition with no U.S. alternative, avoid marketing to American consumers, carry no unusual safety risk, and stay within roughly a 90-day supply with documentation. A lower price abroad was never, by itself, the legal basis people assumed it was. In practice, that review has been applied loosely for decades — low-value personal parcels were rarely scrutinized individually. October 22 doesn't rewrite the FDA's actual standard. It changes the customs pathway around it, which may end up making an already-restrictive rule more consistently enforced than it's ever been in practice. ## **Who This Actually Hits Hardest** Whatever the final enforcement pattern looks like, the people most exposed are the ones already thinking hardest about prescription costs: retirees on fixed incomes managing chronic conditions, for whom even a partial disruption to a cheaper supply chain isn't an abstraction. Patient advocacy groups tracking this have reported a sharp spike in concern since logistics companies started notifying pharmacies of the deadline, and some patients say they're already planning to cut doses or skip medication rather than pay full U.S. price. ## **What to Actually Do Before October 22** **Don't panic, but don't wait either.** Some Canadian pharmacies have already tightened order deadlines or stopped guaranteeing delivery close to the cutoff. **Ask your specific pharmacy how they're handling it** — formal entry, Entry Type 13, or something else — instead of assuming the worst from a general headline. **Check whether your Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan actually covers your medication**, and at what tier. Formularies change every year, and a lot of people default to importing because a price they saw once looked unaffordable — not because they checked this year's actual coverage. **Ask about Extra Help**, the Part D Low-Income Subsidy, if cost has been the real driver. It can meaningfully cut out-of-pocket costs, and plenty of people who'd qualify have simply never applied. **Look into manufacturer patient assistance programs directly** — many are income-based and don't depend on your insurance plan at all. **If your formulary genuinely doesn't work for you, this fall's Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (October 15–December 7) is your actual window to fix it** for 2027 — not a Canadian pharmacy workaround, a plan that fits. ## **Worth Asking Yourself** - Has your pharmacy told you how they're handling shipments after October 22 — or are you working off headlines alone? - Does your current plan cover what you've been importing, and at what cost? - Have you checked Extra Help or a manufacturer program before assuming your only choices are full U.S. price or a foreign pharmacy? **Have you checked what your own plan actually covers yet, or is this still a "get to it later" item?** ## **What To Do Next** If a prescription cost has been pushing you toward imported medication, let's look at whether your current coverage — or a different plan available to you this Annual Enrollment Period — actually covers it at a price that works, regardless of how the customs situation plays out. Questions? Call **(800) 927-9326** or email [marc@gilmanagency.com](mailto:marc@gilmanagency.com) Prefer we reach out to you instead? Complete our [Permission to Contact form](https://gilmanagency.com/permission-to-contact/) and a licensed Gilman Agency agent will follow up. * * * _Sources: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, "Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process," 91 FR 37801 (June 24, 2026); U.S. Customs and Border Protection, "Test of the New Electronic Informal Entry Process for Mail" (Entry Type 13), 91 FR 38007 (June 24, 2026); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Personal Importation guidance (fda.gov/importeddrugs); Xavier Martinez, "Americans Are About to Lose Access to Cheap Gray-Market Prescriptions From Canada," The Wall Street Journal (September 22, 2026)._ _This article is for general educational purposes and reflects a regulatory change still developing as of publication. The practical impact on any specific pharmacy, medication, or patient may differ from general reporting — confirm directly with your pharmacy and prescriber. This is not medical advice; consult your prescriber before changing how or where you obtain any medication. This is not a recommendation regarding any specific plan or carrier. Consult a licensed advisor for guidance specific to your situation._