The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) has expressed strong concerns regarding the passage of Bill C-64, An Act Respecting Pharmacare, after it received Royal Assent from the Senate of Canada.
The association’s president and CEO, Stephen Frank, issued a statement highlighting the potential risks this legislation poses to Canadians’ health benefits. He said that while Bill C-64 aims to enhance access to prescribed medications for Canadians, its implementation might have the opposite effect.
Frank criticized the government’s decision to advance the bill without amendments, labelling it “vague and confusing,” and warned that it could jeopardize existing access to vital medicines. He also emphasized that the legislation could “needlessly waste billions” of dollars while undermining provincial authority over healthcare.
“The government disregarded concerns raised by stakeholders on all sides about the risks of this legislation,” Frank said. “The Minister’s recent letter to Senators, clarified that this bill establishes a Canadian pharmacare plan for diabetes and contraceptive medications paid for and administered exclusively through a public plan, rather than through a mix of public and private payers. This eliminates Canadians’ existing private coverage for these medications and creates significant uncertainty for their remaining drug benefits.”
Frank argued that Canadians want a pharmacare system that addresses the needs of those requiring assistance while safeguarding existing coverage that works effectively. “They do not want to put their current coverage at risk,” he noted, reiterating the call for the repeal of the legislation to ensure uninterrupted access to necessary medications.
The CLHIA has expressed intent to collaborate with provincial and territorial governments to ensure “Canadians have timely and affordable access to the medications they need.”
The CLHIA is a voluntary association whose member companies represent 99% of Canada’s life and health insurance market, providing a wide range of financial security products including life insurance, annuities (including TFSAs, RRSPs, RRIFs and pensions) and supplementary health insurance to nearly 30 million Canadians. Its members manage over $1 trillion in assets in Canada and employ about 180,000 Canadians.
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