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Landmark Dental Benefit Act passes House of Commons final vote – so, what’s next?

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022

Bill C-31… the Dental Benefit Act is an interim step toward the much fuller and more comprehensive public dental program… the new public dental program will be a federal program without cooperation from the provinces and territories. The NDP agrees with the Liberals’ go-it-alone approach to avoid the new program becoming embroiled in federal-provincial wrangling over health care dollars…

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Canada’s new dental care plan will be tangible and popular: MP Don Davies

Wednesday, August 31st, 2022

While Conservative politicians like Pierre Poilievre complain about the cost of a public dental care plan, Davies notes that delivering universal health care is actually cheaper. “We have been coasting on past glories for decades,” said Davies. “Yes, we have excellent care through hospitals and physicians, but we have a two-tiered, US-style access to care for dental care, prescription drugs, eye care, auditory care, and mental health care.” 

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Health Coalition Chairperson to seek accountability for health dollars at premiers’ meeting

Sunday, July 10th, 2022

The Canadian Health Coalition is in favour of increased federal funding to provinces, but not without strings attached to ensure the funding is used for health care in an accountable manner and supports our public health care system…  Budget 2022 stated the federal government wants to ensure that any additional federal funding will improve Canada’s health care system.

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Feds rightly cautious about provincial demands for unconditional health funding

Wednesday, June 1st, 2022

“Trudeau is correct to avoid what may amount to cutting a blank cheque to provinces if he cannot ensure that the money will deliver improvements to existing public health care and expanding public health care to much needed long-term care and universal pharmacare.” … More than eight out of every ten dollars provided in Canada to fight COVID-19 and support Canadians has been provided by the federal government…

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Canadians want it, doctors want it, so let’s get pharmacare done

Thursday, May 12th, 2022

Canadians should be appalled by how much time is spent every day by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others working around the lack of real drug coverage in Canada… As stated in the petition, Philpott and Martin call for advancing the timing and scope of Canada’s plans – starting with universal, public coverage of essential medications before the end of 2022. Meanwhile, the government has promised to pass a Canada Pharmacare Act in 2023…

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Big Pharma wins in Liberals’ watered-down drug price regulations

Saturday, April 30th, 2022

A universal, single-payer, national pharmacare strategy remains elusive for Canadians, but the pharmaceutical industry continues to rake in profits while the government scales back regulatory changes on drug pricing… The Globe and Mail reported that the government is also cancelling plans from 2019 to force drug companies to disclose net prices and will instead continue to rely on publicly-listed prices. This, despite the government’s declaration that public prices do not reflect the true price tag.

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Responding to federal budget 2022

Friday, April 15th, 2022

“While the commitments to implement national pharmacare, dental care and affordable housing are encouraging, without meaningful action in the budget to address the crisis in health staffing, it simply falls far short of what patients and health care workers needed to see.” – Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU)… There was also hope the government might address the under-paid and under-resourced nature of much of the care economy… Unifor

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Public health care advocates support targeted federal spending boosts for provinces

Friday, February 4th, 2022

Public health advocates are calling for federal health care dollars for the provinces and territories to come with strings attached, countering the demands for more unconditional federal dollars from provincial and territorial leaders… “The simple reality is, handing out blank cheques to Conservative premiers won’t fix nursing shortages, repair long-term care, provide better mental health services or implement pharmacare”

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‘Alternative budget’ tackles social and ecological determinants of health

Thursday, February 3rd, 2022

the AFB lays out a plan to ensure health equity and well-being for all by, among other things: Connecting the dots between the social and ecological determinants of health—things like income, working conditions, a clean environment—and their impact on health outcomes… Expanding the public health care system to include pharmacare, a national mental health program, a national dental care plan, and 10 paid sick days. Developing national standards for virtual care…

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NUPGE report warns against privatization through virtual health care

Wednesday, January 26th, 2022

… the increase in ‘virtual’ health care during the pandemic is creating more private, for-profit delivery of health services…. “However, any for-profit virtual clinic that continues to bill users directly, or through private insurance plans, appears to be at odds with the preamble of the Canada Health Act, which calls for ‘continued access to quality health care without financial or other barriers.’”

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