The premiers just held a press conference where they announced additional drugs to be bulk purchased. We applaud the premiers on their work to bulk purchase drugs, but their refusal to call the federal government to a 2014 Health Accord is puzzling.
With the federal government involved, Canada could have a national pharmacare plan that would save us $10.8 billion a year! Instead, the premiers are staying silent on the role of the federal government and are claiming that they can do just as much with a provincial bulk purchasing plan.
What the premiers are missing is the administrative costs that Canada could save with one plan–$560 million, according to Marc Andre Gagnon.
It’s obvious that the premiers don’t want the federal government to restrict what’s left of their health care transfer (only 20 per cent of the overall costs). However, if they really want more money for health care, they need to stand together and demand Harper meet with them.
The Atlantic premiers have recently done this on the federal changes to Employment Insurance and occasionally they speak out on health care. But without the full backing of the other provinces and territories, the federal government will be able to continue to abdicate their responsibilities.
It may seem odd to call the federal government to be accountable for health care given their terrible health care policies–like cutting health care to refugees, stopping payments on long-term care beds for veterans, and calling for “alternative service delivery.” But without the federal government at the table, Canada’s health care system will become even more of a patchwork than it already is. We need a federal government to ensure that everyone across Canada has access to the same public health care services in a similar amount of time regardless of how much money they have or where they live. And we need them to enforce the Canada Health Act by penalizing provinces that illegally charge user fees.
A Health Accord is the only vehicle we have to ensure that everyone in Canada has access to the highest quality of health care. And while I appreciate that the premiers are trying in their own way to make up for the lack of federal involvement, they simply cannot do enough to make up for Harper’s abdication. They have been slow on bulk purchasing a few drugs, they will not enforce national standards on each other, and they can’t penalize one another when they violate the Canada Health Act. They also haven’t been able to find the time to work on the urgent need for a national aging strategy in Canada that would include home and community care and long-term care.
It is imperative for the health of all in Canada that the federal, provincial and territorial governments negotiate a 2014 Health Accord that will protect, strengthen and expand medicare. We have too much to lose if they don’t.
