National pharmacare will save money and lives

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Coverage for essential and effective medications would be the “ounce of prevention” that is worth a pound of cure in our cash-strapped Canadian health-care system.

Almost one million Canadians cut their household spending on food and heat to pay for medication in 2016, according to research presented in the recent final report of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare: A Prescription for Canada: Achieving Pharmacare for All. And one in five households reported a family member who was prevented from taking a prescribed medicine due to its cost.

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