Canada is the only developed country in the world with a universal health care system that doesn’t also have universal coverage for prescription drugs. This needs to change.
In 2015, one quarter of Canadian households struggled to cover the cost of prescription drugs, according to the Angus Reid Institute. Since then, more recent surveys show not much has changed.
More than two in five Canadians are concerned about their ability to afford prescription drugs within the next 10 years, according to a 2020 survey by the Angus Reid Institute.
When Canadians cannot fill their prescriptions, the healthcare system is taxed even further than its already thinly-stretched state. According to the Canadian Health Coalition, not taking prescriptions results in 303,000 additional doctor visits, 93,000 emergency room visits and about 26,000 hospital admissions.
Not only would universal pharma care alleviate stress upon Canada’s already-strained healthcare system from the COVID-19 pandemic, but it would also provide financial benefits to employers and the public.
Marc-André Gagnon, associate professor of public policy at Carleton University and pharmaceutical policy expert, says we can afford universal drug coverage in Canada. Gagnon calls for eliminating fragmented pharmaceutical plans in exchange for one drug plan for all Canadians, funded through general tax revenues.
In March, the federal government promised to prioritize implementing a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of 2023 as part of its supply and confidence agreement with the NDP.
There are only five months left to carry out this monumental promise—one that has been made repeatedly to Canadians for the past 50 years, according to an article by Dr. Joel Lexchin in the International Journal of Health Services. Not only is time ticking, but there’s also a lack of details in the plan to roll out the Canada Pharmacare Act, Lexchin concludes.
The federal government needs to prioritize bringing pharma care to Canadians. It’s time for Canada to catch up with other countries and stop forcing Canadians to choose between their medications and the rest of life’s essentials.
Featured graphic from file.
