CHARLIE ANGUS
IT's TIME To Support Free Prescription meds for all
January / 04 / 2018
New Democrats have long championed universal access to health care - regardless of where in Canada you live or your ability to pay. Our former Leader, Tommy Douglas, introduced the concept of Medicare and we’ve done all we can to honour his dream.
Now we have the opportunity to expand on it like he’d always hoped to do - by implementing universal pharmacare! You can count on us to keep up the fight, and, we’ll complete the health care picture by adding dental and eye care coverage, too.
One in five Canadians can't afford to fill their prescriptions. No one should have to choose between their meds and putting food on their table.
A nation-wide pharmaceutical program would save Canadians money. In fact, it would save us $4 billion a year, according to a report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
And it will free up hospital beds, too, because doctors often keep elderly patients in the hospital longer if the patient can't afford to buy their meds.
Canada is the only country in the world with a universal medicare system that does not include prescription drugs. That’s just wrong.
It’s time to put people first and add universal pharmacare to our healthcare system.