As the inflation cost squeeze continues, millions of Canadians can’t afford the medications they need. Many seniors have resorted to skipping doses and deferring prescriptions because their fixed incomes have been eaten away by inflation.
Statistics tell us that about one in five Canadians have no prescription insurance to cover medication costs. The rest? There are over 100 different private drug plans in Canada, with different deductibles covering different parts of their medical needs.
We need a public, universal, single-payer pharmacare plan. Without it millions of people in Canada don’t have equal access to health care. With a national drug plan we could save $4-to-$7 billion a year, enough to hire thousands of primary care practitioners and doctors.
Write to the Prime Minister, the federal Minister of Health and to your MP and support Bill C-340, to enact the Canada Pharmacare Act. Pharmacare can’t wait. We need it, and we need it now.
Sandra Hartline
Council of Canadians
Nelson