National pharmacare bill a good start but much is still miss

[Oscar]

National pharmacare bill a good start but much is still missing

[ https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contrib ... 20c46.html ]

A good pharmacare plan should follow the principles of our publicly funded medicare system should be universal, portable, accessible, publicly administered and comprehensive. Bill C-64 gets a lot of that right, but is noticeably lacking in comprehensiveness.

By Edward Xie and Melanie Bechard Contributors - Wednesday, March 6, 2024

The recent introduction of Bill C-64, An Act Respecting Pharmacare by federal Minister of Health Mark Holland is news to celebrate — coverage of diabetes medications and contraceptives could save lives and save money for millions of Canadians.

But it feels like getting an appetizer when you’re waiting for the main course. We’re hungry for more. Canadians urgently need a pharmacare plan that covers more than a handful of conditions.

As emergency physicians, we’re concerned that 1 in 10 people with chronic conditions sought emergency care because they could not pay for their prescriptions. More than a quarter of Canadians sacrifice food, shelter, utilities or their financial health due to drug costs.

More . . .