People should not have to worry about whether they can afford their medications – especially during a global pandemic. In the last few months, we’ve heard from hundreds of people who are struggling to be able to get the medicine they need.
Read some of their stories here and then send a message to your Member of Parliament and Health Minister Hajdu using our tool.
Now is the time to make pharmacare a reality.
“I now have to choose between losing our house or getting medication. Going without may cause my condition to flare up which renders me completely bed ridden so I will then lose my job.”
“I’m very lucky that the employer that laid me off is willing to pay for three months of coverage before my end date. I know this is not the case for many. If that coverage and the CERB both run out and I am still not working, we will have to budget very carefully.”
“I am a diabetic on insulin, explaining some of our high costs. In 2019, my spouse was diagnosed with cancer, and we have faced a heavy pharmaceutical cost because of that. In total, our needs cost us close to $500 a month.”
“While I have coverage now, for over a decade I did not while I was trying to get multiple health issues under control and needed medications to be a crucial part of that. I may have been able to re-enter the workforce much sooner if I had coverage.”
“Between my husband and myself, we spent over $1000 per year on our prescription medications.”
“I was told that I would be a good candidate for immunotherapy. The cost per injection would be $1000. My husband’s coverage has a $50,000 limit for my life. Because of the lack of coverage, I have to take a combination of other medications that cost $500 per month. That way I can make my insurance last longer.”
“I was present in Saskatchewan in the years leading up to the provincial medicare, which became the basis for national medicare in Canada. I believe we need a national pharmacare program now.”
“I personally have had no problems. However, I worked for years a case manager in community health and saw so many of my clients struggling to pay for medications and making decisions between food and medications. People who chose to go home and pay a per diem for home support, instead of taking up an acute bed, had to pay for their own medications on top of the other expenses, but in hospital had it covered. These were people who worked most of their lives, but couldn’t afford the high costs, especially those who were retired.”
“It’s the large multi-national corporations that could make the most significant difference in terms of leveling the playing field. I can’t afford to purchase my medications regardless of this crisis.”
“Doug Ford delisted my treatment. Now I pay $125.00 per shot to my urologist every two weeks just to have him inject me. And this is on top of the cost of the drug.”
