Statement made on 28 September 2010 by Senator Catherine Callbeck
Hon. Catherine S. Callbeck:
Honourable senators, a recent report commissioned by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Institute for Socio-economic Research and Information in Quebec proposed and costed a national pharmacare program to cover each and every Canadian.
The executive summary states:
The sound economic analysis included in this report shows that the rational implementation of universal Pharmacare, with first-dollar coverage for all prescription drugs, would not only make access to medicines more equitable in Canada and improve health outcomes, but also generate savings for all Canadians of up to $10.7 billion in prescription drugs.
Inequitable access to prescription drugs is indeed a serious problem. According to a recent survey by Statistics Canada, almost a quarter of Canadians have no drug coverage through private insurance. In the same survey, 8 per cent of Canadians admit they did not fill a prescription in the last 12 months due to the cost of drugs.
Studies show that those who are most likely to be underinsured or have no drug plan at all are people who work at part-time or low-wage jobs and are trying to get by on modest incomes, the very people who are least likely to have extra money for prescriptions.
The report notes that $25.1 billion was spent on prescription drugs in Canada in 2008. In fact, the cost of drugs has risen at more than 10 per cent per year since 1985, a large part of the increase of total health expenditures.
The National Pharmaceuticals Strategy, which was implemented in 2004, had a number of goals, including a national catastrophic drug program and a consistent formulary across the country. Unfortunately, progress on this strategy appears to have stalled. Canadians are still without assistance if they are stricken with a disease that requires expensive drugs.
Provincial and territorial ministers agreed at a meeting on September 13 of this year to explore ways of working together to increase their purchasing power on prescription drugs. I applaud the willingness of the provinces to collaborate for the benefit of all Canadians. I urge the federal government to become involved in these discussions and offer any support necessary to explore all alternatives so that every Canadian has access to the prescriptions they need.