My recent health issues gave me a chance to highlight several issues that many have heard about but can’t pin a real-world example on. Universal pharmacare and universal basic income
Post heart attack as I was discharged I was given a list of 7
prescriptions that I had to fill. The total cost of these scripts was around 300 dollars. All of these prescriptions were for a 1 month supply. Most of these I’ll be having to take for at least a year. several I may have to take for the rest of my life.
I am fortunate that I now have a health plan with my employer that pays 80% of the cost back to me. It normally takes 4-5 days to get money back in my bank account once I submit the receipts from my pharmacy.
Fortunately, it’s a 3 pay month so I have some savings that I can use the cover these meds.
The heart attack occurred Tuesday night so I missed 3 days at work and I may be off a few days more before transitioning to light duties. In my case, I’ll be on the help desk phones.
Because of my full-time role, I will be paid for these days so there will not be a shortfall in the budget.
If this heart attacked had occurred 4 months early, it would be a very different situation.
Coming out of the hospital I would be looking at a similar bill for prescription drugs, but since I was a contract employee, I had no health plan. I would have to wait at least a month if not longer to get any month back from the provincial health plan trillium, provided I had already exceeded my deductible for the quarter. In my case, I was nowhere close to reaching that deductible number.
Having the heart attack on Tuesday night means I would not have been paid for 3 days of work, and I would feel pressured to go back to work to make ends meet.
This situation is a perfect example where universal pharmacare and a basic income would be literally a lifesaver to many.
People who feel pressure to go back to work to make ends meet are more than likely to end up back into the healthcare system which costs more of us in the end. Sometimes being proactive will cost less in the end than being reactive.
With a federal election happening Monday, I can’t help but comment. Yes, health care is primarily a provincial issue but the federal level of government does provide quite a bit of funding, and these two issues should be addressed for all Canadians.
The Liberals (federal and provincial) have talked and promised about both these issues for years with no action. The federal and provincial Conservatives would never entertain either of them. More and more I feel the Liberals and Conservatives are two sides of the same coin.
This and several other reasons are why I am voting NDP.
We have tried other ideas and seen governments fail to act on them. It becomes an endless cycle. Why not trying something different?
Social media is making things worse by manipulating Canadians with lies and misinformation. We’ve seen this with Brexit, Trump and Covid.
It’s time to think about big change. Just as billions in resources were poured into help Canadians get through the pandemic. Other big issues can be tackled.
If the present systems are not working, let’s try something new.
The world has changed, just as it always has. We need to look beyond our comfortable worldview. We have proven before we can change things and make a better place for all Canadians.
If your answer starts with “Yes, but” then you are not keeping an open mind. Seriously clear any existing biases you have and look at the policies from each party with an eye for making everyone’s life better, not just yours.