TORONTO, ON – September 25, 2018 – CARP, Canada’s strongest voice for older Canadians, has joined with over 70 national, provincial and territorial organizations in coming to a consensus about the principles that must underpin a national pharmacare program in the country.
CARP is joined by like-minded pharmacare advocates from across Canada to lay down these principles. This growing coalition agrees that Canadian pharmacare must follow these five governing principles:
- Universality
- Public, Single-Payer Administration
- Accessibility
- Comprehensiveness
- Portable Coverage
While there is broad support for a national pharmacare program, there are diverging views as to whether the program should provide coverage to all Canadians, or focus on trying to fill existing gaps.
According to CARP’s Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer, Wanda Morris, “When it comes to ensuring all Canadians are covered and costs are minimized, this is an opportunity to both do good and do well.”
“A universal, single-payer pharmacare program will not only ensure all Canadians have access to the medications they need, it will provide billions of dollars in net savings to businesses, individuals and the government.” (According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, a single-payer national pharmacare program will result in $4.2 billion in savings. Other studies with different assumptions have found even higher savings.)
The Pharmacare Consensus Principles and the list of current signatories can be found in full here.
About CARP
CARP is a non-profit, non-partisan association representing more than 300,000 older Canadians across Canada. We advocate for better health care, financial security and freedom from ageism. We are supported by our membership and valued corporate partners who offer members discounts and benefits. Visit: www.carp.ca.
Contact:
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