“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different?”
- C.S. Lewis
I recently read an editorial in a national newspaper in which the author was discussing the idea of a national pharmacare program. The Liberal government, ever since being elected, has been hinting about the idea of Canadian taxpayers footing the bill for a series of medications that would be “free” for those that need it.
While I cannot argue with research that tells us that “patient outcomes would improve,” and “Canada’s prescription drug bill would be reduced,” the whole thing just makes me kind of sad.
Yes, the drugs would be cheaper if the government could bulk-buy the medications that many Canadians take for common diseases, and yes, this would mean that many Canadians who could not afford the pills would gain access to these medications. However, this is just so darn sad. I shake my head at what “health care” has become.
Over 25 years ago, before I started my professional career, I was wanting to get some disability and life insurance. It’s pretty standard practice for insurance companies to request some medical information, so I was sent to get an ECG and some lab work. My doctor called me in to review my results. Due to my addiction to potato chips (and the couch), my blood lipid levels were “little out of whack.” Dr. Speedy Gonzales with the prescription pad immediately started writing a scrip for a statin. There was no discussion about lifestyle changes other than a snide comment that went something like, “People say they will exercise, but most don’t, so just take these.” I walked out and found myself a new doctor. And, yes, I became a gym-goer.
Shouldn’t health care be about promoting health? Pushing pills before lifestyle changes sends the wrong message. Governments pushing for “free drugs” may be sending the wrong message too. Why aren’t gym memberships free? Why aren’t green leafy vegetables free?
I bet you that if these items were free, “patient outcomes would improve,” and “prescription drug bills would be reduced.” (But of course, pharmaceutical companies’ profits would suffer).
The message I take from national pharmacare is, “go ahead and treat yourself like crap, the taxpayer will pick up the bill.”
More than 80 per cent of Canadians aged 65 to 79 are taking some form of prescription medication (a number that will be sure to increase with “free pills”).
WWTDS? (What Would Tommy Douglas Say?)
Rant over.
