PREMIERS: NATIONAL PHARMACARE PLAN SHOULD BE OPTIONAL
Jul 12, 2019
By Bob Komsic
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The premiers want to be able to opt out of any federal pharmacare program and keep the money Ottawa would otherwise spend on drugs in their provinces.
They did not say what they would do with that money in an announcement following their annual meeting in Saskatoon.
BC’s John Horgan calls it the biggest issue at the table.
The premiers also asked the federal government to increase annual health transfer payments by just over 5% annually … an amount Doug Ford’s warned may not be enough to cover Ontario’s growing health care needs.
Meanwhile, Premier Ford is looking at measures to protect jobs from Donald Trump’s ”Buy American” policy.
The issue’s become more urgent given the recently announced layoffs of 550 at Bombardier’s Thunder Bay plant.