Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Of all the developed countries with universal, single-payer health care systems, Canada is the only one that does not include coverage for prescription drugs. There are currently 23 different public drug and supplementary plans within Alberta alone, but they provide benefits for just 20% of Albertans. Within Canada we have a patchwork of drug coverage, with more than 100,000 different drug and supplementary plans, yet, 1 in 10 Canadians cannot afford their prescription drugs. Even if we factor in private and work plans, which cannot be relied upon, the cost of plans are expensive and copayments are cost-prohibitive. Another major shortcoming of our current patchwork system is the costly burden to our health care system, and most importantly, the human costs caused by the financial barriers to necessary and life- saving medications. This results in expensive hospitalization and ultimately, in far too many cases, death. In a 2015 Angus Reid Poll, 91% of Canadians (92% of Albertans) supported a National Pharmaca