Evidence Network

Your access to medications should not depend on your job

The MPs mulling options for publicly funding medications this week will likely take their sweet time. There is no rush for them because they already have the type of publicly funded access to medications that is being contemplated for other Canadians. While approximately three million Canadians do not take medications as directed because of the […]

Universal national pharmacare for Canada may offer a small personal loss for a few but a larger public gain

The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) recently published a report outlining the expected costs and benefits of a possible National Pharmacare Program – and it’s pretty good news for most Canadians. The pharmacare program that was assessed was one proposed by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health in 2016.  This committee provided the program’s […]

Who will benefit from an expanded Canada Pension Plan Benefit? It’s not who you think

It was as recently as June 20, 2016 that the federal and provincial Finance Ministers agreed to expand the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).  This is such a recent event, in government terms, that many of the details of benefit entitlements, costs and investment criteria are still not known. But it has been long enough for […]

Why workers over 65 years of age should be entitled to employer health plans too

Imagine having your private health insurance — dental, vision, prescription drug, life, travel and disability coverage — suddenly terminated by your employer at age 65 while you’re still working for them, and just when you may really need it.

Why private health insurance coverage in Canada needs a review

Last week, the media carried a story about a nine-year-old boy in New Brunswick who was denied private health coverage because of his weight (at 5 foot 2 inches and 135 pounds). His family were shocked – as were many reading the story – that a child could be denied private health coverage in Canada.

Why we need to think twice about adopting an Australian model of pension reform

In their recent “Report on Business” commentary, authors Charles Lammam and Stephen Kirchner of the Fraser Institute urge the Province of Ontario to adopt an Australian model of pension provision instead of expanding the Canada Pension Plan as proposed in the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan.