Tonight the Senate began voting on amendments to the health care bill for the first time in days. Near the top of the agenda: an amendment from Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan that would have allowed U.S. pharmacies and drug wholesalers to “reimport” drugs from foreign countries. It was was voted down 51-48. (Amendments need 60 votes to pass, according to an agreement between the majority leader and minority leader.) It might seem like a simple win for the drug industry and a defeat for the American consumer already buckling under the cost of high-priced pharmaceuticals. But, like so much related to health care reform, glossing over the particulars ignores some of the real policy and political issues at stake.