The gap, said Martin, was partly because Canada’s system was designed in the 1960s, when prescription medication was less of a focus for care. Today Canadians, however, face the second-highest drug costs in the industrialised world, after Americans. And they are forced to cover those costs either out of their own pockets, or through a patchwork of provincial and private drug plans.
The result has left many in Canada choosing between meeting their basic needs or complying with the doctors’ orders, said Hassan Yussuff of the Canadian Labour Congress. “If you’re not fortunate enough to work for a sizeable employer that has the resources to provide you with benefits, you’re left on your own,” he said.
His organisation, which represents labour unions across Canada, recently launched a campaign for a national pharmacare plan. “This patchwork that we have throughout the country is devastating for working Canadians,” he said. “We believe anyone with healthcare should have coverage for the medication they need.
About 700,000 Canadians – many of them in precarious or lower-paid jobs – have no prescription drug coverage at all, while another 3.6 million are believed to have coverage that falls short of allowing them to afford medications, according to estimates from the government.
“What we do know is that far too many Canadians are going without medication,” said Yussuff. “Studies have indicated they’re splitting their medication, they’re sharing their medication and in some cases not taking it.”
more
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/20/canada-national-pharmacare-prescription-drugs
The result has left many in Canada choosing between meeting their basic needs or complying with the doctors’ orders, said Hassan Yussuff of the Canadian Labour Congress. “If you’re not fortunate enough to work for a sizeable employer that has the resources to provide you with benefits, you’re left on your own,” he said.
His organisation, which represents labour unions across Canada, recently launched a campaign for a national pharmacare plan. “This patchwork that we have throughout the country is devastating for working Canadians,” he said. “We believe anyone with healthcare should have coverage for the medication they need.
About 700,000 Canadians – many of them in precarious or lower-paid jobs – have no prescription drug coverage at all, while another 3.6 million are believed to have coverage that falls short of allowing them to afford medications, according to estimates from the government.
“What we do know is that far too many Canadians are going without medication,” said Yussuff. “Studies have indicated they’re splitting their medication, they’re sharing their medication and in some cases not taking it.”
more
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/20/canada-national-pharmacare-prescription-drugs
