Health Coalition joins anti-poverty groups at meeting for Parliamentarians

The Canadian Health Coalition participated in a special breakfast event in Ottawa to bring together parliamentarians and civil society organizations by the Together to End Poverty coalition. I was honoured to be able to deliver the following remarks on the threat of health care privatization, and the benefits of a universal national pharmacare program.

November 23, 2023 | Ottawa

Good morning

I am Steven Staples, the National Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Canadian Health Coalition. I’d like to begin by thanking our hosts, Senator Kim Pate, Bonita Zarrillo MP for Port Moody—Coquitlam, and Natalie Appleyard of Citizens for Public Justice.

The Canadian Health Coalition, founded in 1979, unites frontline health care worker unions, community groups, and experts with a mission to protect and expand Medicare. One of our early accomplishments was bringing about the Canada Health Act of 1984.

The Canada Health Act articulates a commitment to the well-being of all residents, emphasizing the need for reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers. However, today, we face challenges that threaten the core principles of our health care system.

One such challenge is privatization, which takes the form of both private payment and private, for-profit delivery of health services. This crisis in health care has led to difficulties in accessing care, with provinces increasingly turning to the private sector. The dangers are clear: escalating costs, a drain on public sector providers, and exposure of patients to extra billing and user fees. Our focus should be on using funding to strengthen the public system, not diverting resources into the private, for-profit realm.

Another critical issue we face is the urgent need for a comprehensive pharmacare program. Shockingly, millions of Canadians remain uninsured for the medicines they require. Statistics Canada reveals that one in five Canadians had no coverage for their prescriptions in 2021. Even those fortunate enough to have coverage encounter significant deductibles and copayments. As a consequence, one in six Canadians with drug coverage paid over $500 out-of-pocket on prescriptions in 2021, leading to one in 10 Canadians skipping prescriptions due to cost, resulting in preventable demands on our health care system.

Pharmacare must address the high cost of drugs in our country. Canada’s drug prices are approximately 25 percent above the median of OECD countries. By implementing a pharmacare program, we can achieve point-of-sale price reductions, reducing patient costs by up to 100 per cent and increasing the utilization of prescription drugs by 13.5 per cent.

The Canadian Health Coalition eagerly anticipates the introduction of legislation for a single-payer, universal pharmacare program by the end of 2023. Pharmacare is not just about saving money; it is about saving lives.

In closing, let’s join in our commitment to safeguarding the principles of our health care system, addressing privatization, and ensuring access to affordable medications for all Canadians. Together, we can end poverty by prioritizing the health and well-being of our citizens.

Thank you.