TIMES COLONIST, VICTORIA, B.C.
ADVERTISING FEATURE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2018
S1
Unions mark Labour Day by continuing fight to win
Pharmacare for all workers Labour Day Message from Michael Eso, President, Victoria Labour Council
B
EING CANADIAN means that
if you get sick you can get treated, regardless of where you live or how much you make. Or at least it should be that way. The problem is that we have a massive gap in our public health care system when it comes to prescription drug coverage — a gap that’s left 3.5 million Canadians unable to afford the medications they need. Even if you’re not directly affected, you probably know someone who is. Canada’s current patchwork prescription drug system is inefficient, and so expensive that only the U.S. has higher costs. Plus, our inconsistent coverage and uneven access to certain drugs means that people often pay different rates for the same medications. It just doesn’t make sense. Roughly one-third of working Canadians don’t have employerfunded prescription drug coverage. One in ten Canadians pay out of pocket for their medication because they either don’t have a prescription drug plan, or because their plan includes costly co-payments, deductibles, limitations and restrictions. Canada’s current patchwork system of provincial or territorial plans and private prescription coverage means that too many people are falling through the cracks. This is why Canada’s unions believe that prescription drug benefits should be extended equally to everyone with a health card. Last September, the Canadian Labour Congress launched a campaign calling for a public and universal pharmacare plan. Since then, over 40,000 people have
signed the petition calling for public prescription drug coverage in Canada. Hundreds of people have shared their own stories of struggling to pay for prescription medication. Imagine the impact universal pharmacare would have on a self-employed entrepreneur who receives a devastating diagnosis, knowing they can’t afford to pay for their treatment. Or the young woman who struggles to afford her birth control medication. Or the retiree who learns that their drug plan has an annual cap and must pay out of pocket for their prescription medications for several months every year. It seems obvious that the medication we receive in hospital as part of Canada’s medicare system should also be available when it is prescribed by a family doctor no matter where you work or live. This led me to ask myself who benefits from the current system of private drug coverage? Well, the answer is simple; it’s pharmaceutical companies who charge grossly inflated prices for vital medications and insurance companies who make
hundreds of millions for administering private drug plans. As a result, no matter what level of coverage you have, every individual, employer and government is over-paying for the medications we all need. Imagine how much further that money could go toward making us all healthier and wealthier. I’ll be honest with you — most unionized workers already have prescription drug coverage through our workplace contracts, but Canada’s unions believe these benefits should be extended to everyone. And while unions may not have a financial stake in championing universal pharmacare, the same can’t be said for those opposing it. Canadian pharmaceutical and insurance companies stand to lose billions if the Canadian government establishes a public and universal pharmacare plan. And I don’t feel bad for them because they are still going to make billions, but you’d
better believe they will eagerly spend millions to oppose a universal single-payer prescription drug plan. But Canadians don’t believe greed and profit have any place in the delivery of health care. We also know the value of working together to make life better for everyone. After all, that’s the foundation of Canadian health care and it’s time we extend our medicare system to cover prescription drug costs as well. Canada is the only developed country in the world with a universal health care program that doesn’t include universal prescription drug coverage. Now that the Canadian government is finally considering a national pharmacare plan, we need to call on politicians at every level of government to act in the best interest of everyday Canadians. We all benefit from universal pharmacare, so let’s get it right.
The Victoria Labour Council invites everyone to join us on the B.C. Legislature grounds to
CELEBRATE LABOUR DAY! Monday, Sept. 3 B.C. Legislature lawn 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be music, games, clowns, a bouncy castle and snacks for kids. Please join us — Happy Labour Day!
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WHAT WE DESIRE FOR OURSELVES,
...WE WISH 0011592797 FOR ALL. VICTORIA-VANCOUVER ISLAND Victoria-Vancouver I 10 x 152 CMYK, ,
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(J.S. WOODSWORTH)
Labour Day is Celebrated as a National Holiday on Monday September 3. At this time we pay tribute, as organized labour has for more than 100 years, to the efforts and sacrifices of those who came before us to make this a better world. VICTORIA VANCOUVER ISLAND NEWSPAPER GUILD Representing members at the Victoria Times Colonist