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The lack of universal pharmacare in Canada can impact anyone, and it’s most likely to affect us in our most desperate time of need.

Here in Saskatchewan, only seniors and children who are 14 and under are covered under the public system, but beneficiaries are still expected to make co-payments of up to $25 per prescription.

Earlier this year, people from every corner of Canada showed up at town hall meetings on pharmacare hosted by the Canadian Labour Congress, to share personal struggles about paying for medication.

Why should you or someone you love be forced to skip doses, go into debt, or jeopardize their health because their prescriptions are too costly?

Failure to take medication as prescribed can greatly reduce health outcomes and put lives at risk. It also adds strain and cost to a health care system that is already overburdened. Canada’s current patchwork system means different coverage in every province and territory, while everyone overpays for their prescriptions and pharmaceutical companies make a killing. Private insurance companies benefit by charging employers, unions and employees to administer private drug insurance plans.

Canada is the only developed country in the world with a universal health care program that doesn’t include universal drug coverage. It just doesn’t make sense.

Imagine how much more efficient health care could be if people had coverage for the medications they need. Common conditions like asthma could be better controlled, and people with chronic and complicated conditions wouldn’t be financially burdened. They would have fewer visits to emergency rooms and doctors’ offices, and they would never have to choose between taking medication and buying groceries. Quality of life would increase significantly.