Due to lack of insurance, 22% of Canadians have cut their pills, skipped doses or not refilled a prescription because of the cost of medications, reports a new survey. In light of these results, Heart & Stroke and the Canadian Cancer Society are urging the federal government to adopt a national pharmacare plan now.
The survey conducted by Léger also reveals that one in ten Canadians suffering from a chronic illness found themselves in the emergency room because their condition had deteriorated due to an inability to pay for their prescription medications.
These results are released as the New Democratic Party threatens to withdraw from the agreement with the Liberal government, according to which it supports it in key votes in the House of Commons, if it does not announce a universal program of drug coverage by the end of the month.
The initial agreement called for the adoption of a Pharmacare Act in Canada by the end of 2023, but the NDP agreed to give the Liberals a reprieve, setting 1er March deadline for a bill for universal pharmacare.
The majority of Canadians (82%) also believe that it is up to the federal government to ensure that all citizens benefit from a drug insurance plan, indicates the survey commissioned by Heart & Stroke and the Canadian Society of cancer.
Both organizations recommend a phased approach that would first cover life-saving prescription drugs, as called for in the federal government’s 2019 Hoskins Report on Pharmacare.
This document revealed that 7.5 million Canadians do not have prescription drug insurance or sufficient protection to pay for their medications.
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