Andrea Horwath and the NDP will deliver hundreds or even thousands of dollars in savings for every family every year with Ontario’s first comprehensive Universal Pharmacare program.
“Pharmacare is health care, and you shouldn’t have to rack up credit card charges to get the medicine you need,” said Horwath. “New Democrats will take another cost off your hands. With pharmacare, you’ll get the medicine you need with your OHIP card, not your credit card.
“Everyday people should be able to afford everyday life. Together, we can make sure families can always get the prescriptions they need. We can make sure no one ever again in Ontario has to cut their grocery budget in order to afford their child’s medicine.”
Under Horwath’s Universal Pharmacare plan:
- Families will save about $350 a year.
- People who need take-home cancer drugs will save thousands of dollars every year — even if they already get help from provincial drug plans.
- People with excellent benefits plans, but are managing a chronic disease, will also save thousands of dollars per year.
- Seniors will save at least $100 every year.
When elected, Horwath and the NDP will make PrEP, birth control and all take-home cancer drugs free on Day 1. Then quickly begin implementation of Canada’s first pharmacare plan. Horwath is also committing to lead the country in creating a national Universal Pharmacare program by using Ontario’s example and seat at the Council of the Federation to help build a Canada-wide plan that Ontario can roll into.
In his first week in government, Ford cut drug coverage for young people, and then rallied Conservative premiers across the country to shut down talks on a national pharmacare plan.
In addition to the savings for families, comprehensive universal pharmacare will save the province more than $1,200 per person every year in hospitalizations, emergency room visits and doctors appointments. That will free up $1.8 billion to reinvest in the health care system every year, and small businesses will save at least $835 million through lower drug costs.
