PHARMACARE: Calls for Action!

[Oscar]

Quill Plains chapter calls for action on pharmacare in Humboldt Journal letter to the editor

[ https://canadians.org/blog/quill-plains ... ter-editor [

May 16, 2017 - 6:30 pm

(PHOTO: Humboldt is located about 113 kilometres east of Saskatoon.)

The Council of Canadians Quill Plains (Wynyard) chapter has had a letter to the editor on the urgent need for pharmacare published in the Humboldt Journal, which has a circulation of 3,443 readers.

Chapter activist Elaine Hughes writes, "In spite of 91% public support for a national Pharmacare program, Canada has the distinction of being the only developed country with a universal health care system that does not include prescription drug benefits for everyone. This is unacceptable."

She then highlights four reasons why we must change this situation (based on this op-ed in the Toronto Star):
[ https://www.thestar.com/opinion/comment ... e-now.html ]

1- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), access to essential medicines is a human right;
2- It would save lives. Canadians are three to five times more likely to skip prescriptions because of cost than are residents who live in comparable countries which have universal pharmacare programs;
3- It would save billions of dollars every year. Canadians spend 50% more per capita on pharmaceuticals than residents of several other countries which have universal pharmacare programs;
4- It would help Canadian businesses. Canadian employers waste between $3 billion and $5 billion per year because employment-related private insurance is ill-equipped to manage pharmaceutical costs effectively.

Hughes concludes, "Without urging from ordinary Canadians – today - for Prime Minister Trudeau to show the leadership required, a universal pharmacare program won't happen any time soon. Get informed and get involved! Check the non-profit, non-partisan Council of Canadians website for extensive information, a petition to sign & share and some tools to help you take action to make this important change." [ https://canadians.org/blog/four-key-arg ... needed-now ]

At present count, thirteen Council of Canadians chapters will be mobilizing for a pharmacare day of action on May 27.

Those chapters are:

Ontario-Quebec -- Hamilton, Peterborough-Kawarthas, Peel Region, Thunder Bay, Kitchener-Waterloo
Pacific -- Vancouver-Burnaby, Comox Valley, Kamloops
Prairies-NWT -- Quill Plains (Wynyard), Winnipeg, Brandon-Westman
Atlantic -- Prince Edward Island, Kent County

To assist with this, the Council of Canadians has produced

- this April 2017, 36-page report, "A Prescription for Better Medicine: How universal pharmacare would give Canada an economic advantage" [ https://canadians.org/sites/default/fil ... e-0417.pdf ], (plus a 4-page executive summary) [ https://canadians.org/sites/default/fil ... y-0417.pdf ],

- a tips on lobbying your Member of Parliament fact sheet, a facts and figures fact sheet
[ https://canadians.org/sites/default/fil ... e-tips.pdf ],

- a sample letter to the editor [ https://canadians.org/sites/default/fil ... etters.pdf ],

- and this brochure [ https://canadians.org/sites/default/fil ... ochure.pdf ].

We will also be releasing a new poll on pharmacare and a 4-minute handimation video tomorrow!

In the meantime, you can join with the thousands who have already sent this letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Health Minister Jane Philpott calling on them to take immediate action on pharmacare. [ https://secure.canadians.org/ea-action/ ... n.id=53627 ]


Tags: chapters
[ https://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]