In her latest MP report, your voice in Ottawa says that it’s time for a universal single-payer pharmacare system and prescription drug coverage for all Canadians.

 

Niki Ashton says that almost two million Canadians can’t afford to fill their prescriptions which often results in more trips to the doctor or hospital.

 

She says that it’s estimated that hundreds of premature deaths occur yearly among working-age people because they couldn’t afford their prescriptions, and that the clear solution is a universal single-payer system.

 

The Churchill-Keewatinook Aski MP says that a single-payer system is the best way to make sure the government is using purchasing power to get the lowest drug prices, which she says will save the health care system money.

 

She says that she thinks it would be a mistake to introduce a patchwork system to fill the gaps, and that the opportunity needs to be taken to cover everyone equally while strengthening healthcare and saving Canadians out of pocket expenses.

 

Ashton adds that in Canada, it should “only take a health card, not a credit card, to stay healthy.”