Archive for the ‘Health Policy Context’ Category
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Why Canadian governments resist sensible pharmacare
… the experts say: pharmacare is a good idea, both socially and economically. In rhetoric, the politicians aren’t far behind. Nonetheless, this very good idea that almost everyone lauds is never put into action… the reason for this insufferable inaction is that a national drug program would shift costs from the private to the public sector — from what we pay out of one pocket (prescription costs and insurance premiums) to what we pay out of the other (taxes).
Tags: budget, economy, featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living, tax
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Pharmacare would mean big savings while closing health care gap
Canadians currently shell out an average of 50 per cent more, per capita, than people in other developed countries… There would be a modest increase in one cost category: uninsured people who can’t afford medicine will finally fill the prescriptions they’ve been given. But there would be additional savings, too, by eliminating the duplication of legal, technical and administrative work inherent in Canada’s existing, disjointed approach.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, ideology, mental Health, participation, standard of living
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National pharmacare program could save $7.3 billion: study
… you can do this without having to increase taxes by a single penny and that changes the whole conversation… The study did not take into account additional savings to the health system that would be achieved when those who cannot afford to fill prescriptions start taking medications. Nor did it take into account savings that would be derived through more appropriate prescribing that a national system would be expected to promote.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, Health, ideology, standard of living, tax
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Trading away our health
Drug expenditures in this country have been the fastest growing sector of health spending in the last 25 years. Since the mid-1980s, prescription drug spending has more than doubled, costing $27.7 billion in 2012. If Canada does not strongly reject the new protections proposed in the TPP, these expenditures could cost our health-care systems, and all Canadians, billions more per year.
Tags: budget, economy, globalization, ideology, pharmaceutical, rights, standard of living
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Provinces push pharmacare out of reach
The appeal of eliminating universal drug coverage is obvious. It reduces the burden on the public purse. It makes medicare more sustainable. It targets benefits to those who really need them. What’s not to like? … It is detrimental to the health of seniors… It penalizes Canadians over 65 with chronic conditions or serious disabilities… And it is financially inefficient… The long-term costs will add up in ways Canadians haven’t begun to contemplate.
Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, ideology, pharmaceutical, standard of living, tax
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Why Canada is no longer a leader in global drug policy
… we know what we should do: Supervised injection sites; prescription heroin; medical cannabis dispensaries; crack pipe distribution; drug testing kits; Naloxone for reversing opioid overdose… these innovative health services reduce the harms of drugs and save lives, and we all agree “the current approach is not working.” And yet, access to these important innovations is unequal across Canada because of a lack of leadership at the federal level
Tags: crime prevention, Health, ideology, pharmaceutical, standard of living
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Pharmacare should be a federal election issue
… the vast majority of those in precarious or low-wage jobs do not have employer-provided health plans that cover such basics as prescription drugs, eye checkups or dental care… Pharmacare would… mean savings for employers who now provide health care coverage to their employees… While it all adds up to a lot of savings for the Canadian economy, most importantly it should be a fundamental, universal right.
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, Health, ideology, pharmaceutical, standard of living, tax
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Play hardball with lax drugmakers
Why not impose tough penalties on drug makers that cut off supplies abruptly with no explanation or warning? … Why not set performance standards for the $2 billion Ottawa doles out to the pharmaceutical industry every year? … Why not challenge the excuses drug companies are making? They blame everything from regulatory barriers to group purchasing for their failure to deliver once-accessible drugs reliably…
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Canadians have right to doctor-assisted suicide, Supreme Court rules
Canadian adults who are mentally competent and suffering intolerably and permanently have the right to a doctor’s help in dying, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Friday morning. The intolerable suffering can be physical or psychological. The court suspended its ruling for 12 months to give the Canadian government, medical regulatory bodies and the provinces a chance to draft new laws and policies around assisted dying. It said doctors have the ability to address whether an individual is capable of consent.
Tags: disabilities, featured, Health, ideology, mental Health, rights, standard of living
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No need to settle for poll-driven tinkering
Should either the New Democrats or Liberals take power Canadians can expect a restoration of their democratic institutions… A rational cost-benefit analysis would persuade… government to re-think Harper’s harsh crime crackdown… Canada’s employment insurance system is badly out of sync with today’s labour market… modernization of Canada’s 40-year-old tax code, which encourages the top 0.1 per cent of earners to skim off an ever-larger share of the national income.
Tags: ideology, participation, standard of living
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