Parties make promises on pharmacare
What federal leaders, local candidates are saying about drug coverage
Where federal parties stand on universal national pharmacare varies from considering it “part of the DNA” of the New Democratic Party (NDP) – as Jack Harris recently said at a forum on seniors’ issues – to People’s Party of Canada candidate Ben Ruckpaul saying the PPC wouldn’t implement it, instead choosing to leave it up to provinces’ discretion.
Critics of universal pharmacare warn the result will be drug shortages, financial burdens on taxpayers and lower profits that reduce pharmaceutical research and development.
Yet for Canada’s working poor, drug coverage would mean actually being able to fill their prescriptions.
An article in the International Journal of Health Economics and Management says the working poor suffer most under the status quo because they are not eligible for public assistance programs. The article cites several surveys that found one in 10 Canadians do not fill their prescriptions because of out-of-pocket costs.
Medication costs vary across the country, depending on the province.
In Atlantic Canada, the statistics are dire: an Angus Reid study found 26 per cent of Atlantic Canadian households don’t take medications as prescribed because they can’t afford to.
Canadians spent about $33.9 billion on prescription drugs in 2017, or $926 per capita.
Canada is the only high-income country with universal health insurance that doesn’t provide universal coverage of prescription drugs.
At Council of the Federation meetings in Saskatoon in July, all 13 premiers reached a unified message on pharmacare: to press the federal government and to make it an election issue, Premier Dwight Ball said at the time.
PARTY PROMISES
The foundation for a national pharmacare system has already been laid by the Liberal government.
St. John’s East Liberal candidate Nick Whalen said he has worked hard on pharmacare in the last four years as MP.
He said the Liberal party has established a national drug purchasing agency and will implement a pharmacare program.
Whalen said one of the biggest hurdles to implementation will be working with provinces, adding “we’ve demonstrated an ability to get this done” by taking concrete steps.
Liberal party spokesperson Guy Gallant told The Telegram a Liberal government would commit over $1 billion to highcost drugs for rare diseases.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, however, points out Liberals have been promising a pharmacare plan for decades.
Scheer criticized the Liberal pharmacare plan in an emailed statement to The Telegram.
“They would have to drastically raise taxes in order to implement what the Hoskins’ Report recommends,” reads the email.
“Conservatives know that some Canadians legitimately struggle to access prescription medications. However, a 2017 report shows 95 per cent of Canadians either already have or are eligible for private or public drug coverage. Canadians will lose the coverage they have, their taxes will go up and they will be worse off under the Liberal plan.”
In a statement on June 12, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said what the country needs is a single universal program – not a patchwork of public and private plans.
“Our plan would also apply the approach of the UBC Therapeutics Initiative to ensure the meticulous review of new medications before they are approved,” May said.
“This will certify the efficacy of new drugs and prevent registering drugs that hurt more people than they help. Not only will this improve the health of Canadians, it will save up to $11 billion annually.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh criticized both Liberals and Conservatives in an email to The Telegram.
“For the past four years, the Liberals have been more concerned with pharmaceutical giants’ profits than making sure people in Atlantic Canada can get the drug coverage they need. Meanwhile, the Conservatives don’t have any interest in addressing this problem,” reads the email.
“New Democrats believe that the only thing you should need to get medicine is your health card – not your credit card. As prime minister, I’ll finish what Tommy Douglas started and make drugs part of our universal health care system.”
Ben Ruckpaul, People’s Party of Canada candidate in St. John’s South-mount Pearl, was succinct when asked the PPC’S stance on pharmacare at a recent forum on seniors’ concerns: “We’re not going to be doing it,” he said.
“The reason for this is because health care is the exclusive mandate of the provinces. If the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador wishes to create a provincial pharmacare program, we are going to support it.
“We will help you out. … By turning over GST control to the provinces, the provinces are going to have more revenue in order to properly enact this system should they so wish.”
The federal election will be held on Oct. 21.