Thank you, Mr. Speaker.By all accounts, it’s estimated that 10 to 25 percent of our Canadian population is uninsured or underinsured for prescription drugs. When unforeseen illnesses, disability and medical complication strike, this portion of the population is vulnerable to financial hardship. In essence, those unable to afford these drug costs are placed in serious situations of life or death.
To put in perspective where drug costs are going, just last week I saw a bill for a new Hep C drug, called Harvoni, for the 12-week therapy of $92,000. Shocking, I know.
Efforts both nationally and internationally have tried to address this. Yet, in the NWT there is still no concrete action on catastrophic drug coverage programs designed for people with serious medical conditions or that would protect against undue financial hardship resulting from prescription drugs.
Nationally, this issue has been bounced around with First Ministers in 2003, supporting a $16 billion reform fund to improve provisions of catastrophic drug coverage to a 2004 National Pharmaceuticals Strategy and a creation of a task force and, finally, in 2008, with Health Ministers reaffirming that catastrophic drug coverage would be implemented. However, as of 2015 this matter still remains unaddressed in part because of disagreements over the federal government’s cost sharing responsibilities. But moreover, Mr. Speaker, I believe it’s the lack of political will.
During this time, and as of today, provinces and territories were exempted or expected to employ a patchwork of public and private drug coverage plans in the absence of a national strategy. In essence, there are seven provinces and Nunavut that have an official catastrophic drug coverage plan in place. Unfortunately, NWT is not one of them.
In the NWT, First Nations and Inuit residents are covered for all medications through the Health Canada’s often complex and red tape burdened Non-Insured Health Benefits, NIHB, formulary. Although the GNWT does not provide catastrophic drug coverage for non-Natives and Metis residents, it does however, using this plagued NIHB formulary as a guide, and through its extended health
benefits, provide Pharmacare for seniors and residents with specific disease conditions.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted