National Pharmacare Program

WHEREAS the City of Vancouver has recognized and has demonstrated over the past years its commitment to the importance of healthy citizens as the foundation of a healthy, engaged and economically vibrant community; AND WHEREAS over 3 million Canadians, including many in our local communities, dont take medicines prescribed by their doctors because they cant afford them; AND WHEREAS Canada is currently the only country with a national medicare program that does not have a national pharmacare program; AND WHEREAS the risk of having no insurance for medicines is high among lower income Canadians which includes the service industry, precarious working and seasonal workers; AND WHEREAS studies show that adding a national pharmacare program to our national health care system would lower costs to businesses by over 8 billion per year, providing Canadian companies competitive advantages in international trade; AND WHEREAS recent research confirms that these gains can be achieved with little or no increase in public investment; AND WHEREAS local government expenses for employee benefits would be significantly reduced by a national pharmacare program; AND WHEREAS a national prescription drug formulary would support better quality prescribing, including reducing dangerous and inappropriate prescribing to Canadian seniors; AND WHEREAS a national pharmacare plan is sound policy, both economically and socially, and the City of Vancouver expresses its support for the creation of a national pharmacare program as an extension of Canadian Medicare, since health and economic studies now show that such as policy would improve health in municipalities, give local businesses a competitive advantage in the global marketplace and lower costs for municipal government on taxpayers: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call on the Province of British Columbia to work with the other provinces and territories and the federal government to develop and implement a national pharmacare program.