The time for pharmacare is now
TheStar.com – Opinion/Readers’ Letters – Re: Health minister quietly campaigns for pharmacare, April 24
Apr 26 2016
Bravo to Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins for his continued work on universal pharmacare.
At Ontario’s 84 Community Health Centres and Aboriginal Health Access Centres we serve many vulnerable people and see firsthand the impact on their health when they can’t afford their medications.
One client has frequent fainting spells at his factory job as he can’t afford his heart medication. Another ended up in emergency when she couldn’t cover the cost of her diabetes medication and supplies. Other people skip doses to make the pills stretch further.
The evidence shows that a national drug coverage plan that is public, affordable and safe would ensure access for all of us and bring down the high prices we pay for prescription medicines in Canada.
Let’s keep up the pressure to convince the federal government to listen and act on the evidence that universal pharmacare would both save money and close a health care gap.
Jacquie Maund, Association of Ontario Health Centres, Toronto
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Yes, we need pharmacare, and also dental care, and medicare coverage for eye exams and glasses, and physiotherapy.
Why is it that Ontario cancelled physio and eye exam coverage for anyone of working age? The result is more days of work missed. Is this what employers and politicians want?
Taking a look at the wanton cutbacks in health care, it’s easy to see that the worst began under the Conservative government of Mike Harris. Privatization of physiotherapy and homecare, among other things, began then. Interesting, when we now see Mike Harris in the pay of Chartwell retirement homes.
Clearly, there’s a push by corporate insurance and health care businesses to keep whittling away at our medicare. It’s time to return all medical services, including homecare, to nonprofits.
The excuse that we can’t afford to maintain medicare services due to lack of money is a red herring. We all know the loss of revenue is due to the cutting of taxes for the rich and corporations. We should return their taxes to former levels and make them pay their fair share of taxes. Then there will be funding for the rest of us to get the care we so desperately need.
By the way, I never asked for my taxes to be cut. Taxes pay for the services we all need.
Kate Chung, Toronto
< http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2016/04/26/the-time-for-pharmacare-is-now.html >
Tags: budget, disabilities, Health, ideology, mental Health, pharmaceutical, standard of living, tax
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