health care

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Faced with a crowd of 2,000 seniors protesting in front of the provincial legislature last Tuesday, the provincial government reneged on its commitment to a means test for Pharmacare benefits. This is a bad sign. Seniors currently pay a maximum 75 cents a day ($275 per year) for prescription drugs that are listed by Pharmacare, and taxpayers pick up the rest. If the government is afraid to take the baby step of means testing for Pharmacare, it is unlikely to make more significant reforms that are necessary to improve health care in British Columbia.

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That report’s introduction reveals the futility of the task: “… a one-person, time-limited Commission cannot address every conceivable issue affecting the future of health care in Canada.” Take one man, add a budget of over $15 million, solicit the views of every interest group in the land for ten months, and the best you’re going to get is a vague statement of indecision.