OTTAWA – As Liberals and New Democrats negotiate what a future national drug plan should look like, a new survey suggests pharmacare is not at the top of the priority list for most Canadians. Th...
As a relatively young person who is fortunate enough to have no health issues requiring medication, I can understand this. Pharmacare doesn’t really ring my bell where I am in life right now. However, I am getting to an age where that could change. And when considering the political implications, I think one must take age cohorts into account. I imagine the senior cohort considers this a much higher priority than the 18-35 demographic. And that demo also tends to vote at a much higher rate. So while this might not be the #1 priority nationwide, it might punch above it’s weight with more reliable voting blocs.
Seniors do have special drug benefits in most provinces, I’m pretty sure, although some provinces have additional low income requirements. So, seniors might not be a united front on this issue. My 66 y/o mum surprised me when I asked her if she was in favour of universal pharmacare: “No, sounds expensive for the gov’t and I’m already covered on pharmacare anyway as a senior.”
As a relatively young person who is fortunate enough to have no health issues requiring medication, I can understand this. Pharmacare doesn’t really ring my bell where I am in life right now. However, I am getting to an age where that could change. And when considering the political implications, I think one must take age cohorts into account. I imagine the senior cohort considers this a much higher priority than the 18-35 demographic. And that demo also tends to vote at a much higher rate. So while this might not be the #1 priority nationwide, it might punch above it’s weight with more reliable voting blocs.
Seniors do have special drug benefits in most provinces, I’m pretty sure, although some provinces have additional low income requirements. So, seniors might not be a united front on this issue. My 66 y/o mum surprised me when I asked her if she was in favour of universal pharmacare: “No, sounds expensive for the gov’t and I’m already covered on pharmacare anyway as a senior.”