BY: Matias de Dovitiis
A new Pharmacare program has been signed into law in Ottawa, and with this new legislation comes a program that will make medicines more affordable. For the first time in Canada, medication will be included as part of the public health care system. The program is part of the agreement between the government and the NDP, which also includes the creation of a national affordable childcare program, the new Dental Care program, protections for workers in federally regulated industries, and more.
Pharmacare will begin with diabetic medications and contraceptives and will expand over time to cover the most commonly used medicines in the health care system. 9.4% of Canadians suffer from diabetes, which is almost 4 million people. The types of medicine that will be covered include insulin, Metformin, and other combinations. The government will also set up a fund for diabetes monitoring supplies. Unmedicated or uncontrolled, diabetes can result in many health complications that can have fatal or life-changing consequences, but also carry a cost for society in the form of increased demand for emergency room services. This program will, in fact, save Canadians millions every year by focusing on preventative health care to keep us all living healthier and better lives.
Pharmaceutical companies make the most profit when they have patents that allow them to inflate the price of medicine. They do not profit from making patients healthy. A single-payer public system like Pharmacare allows governments to better bargain for bulk prices and reduce costs to consumers. In other countries where these systems already exist, patients already pay much less than Canadians for medicines such as insulin. Many of these companies have spent the last two years trying to weaken the Pharmacare program by lobbying the government, as they stand to lose money if it is fully implemented. It is important for Canadians that Pharmacare expands to include a wider range of medications for all Canadians because there will be a significant battle with private interests to undermine the program.
Like all new national programs, Pharmacare will require negotiations with the provinces, but those are already underway. For example, British Columbia has already signed a memorandum to implement the program. The government hopes that Pharmacare will be in place by the spring of the coming year. The sooner, the better.