Premier McNeil open to tweaking proposed pharmacare changes
Posted Feb 4, 2016 02:00:20 PM.
Last Updated Feb 4, 2016 02:42:41 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – Premier Stephen McNeil confirmed on Thursday the government is open to tweaking last month’s proposed pharmacare changes after hearing concerns from seniors in the province.
After conversations with a number of seniors’ groups, the Premier said the government is open to altering some facets of the original proposal, but stopped short of making a guarantee.
McNeil said they’ve been listening most about income exemptions, like the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement, and other anomalies that could affect the way a person’s income is calculated from one year to the next.
“We’ve agreed to reassess and say … is there a better way to do this?” McNeil said.
“We said them we would look at a couple of issues that they brought to our attention, we’re doing that.”
One thing being considered, according to McNeil, is a grace period, as some were shocked to see their annual premium could triple, with no time to absorb that extra cost.
“The intention of all these changes was to ensure that low-income Nova Scotians are having access to pharmacare and not having to choose between filling a [prescription], or some other necessity of life,” he said, adding if some are having problems, they’re open to addressing it.
McNeil did say he believed the rollout of the program has not gone as well as expected, including unclear information being sent out to seniors in the mail.
The Nova Scotia Health Coalition said on Thursday that they also had an issue with the communication provided by the government, and have written the Nova Scotia Ombudsman’s office over the Health Department’s handling of the matter.
Under the new system the government said 12,000 seniors who paid a premium under the old model, will now not be required too, but it’s unclear how many members will leave the program based on the higher premiums for some.
The changes kick in April 1, with premiums to be determined based on the incomes of single people and couples.
The Department has argued that despite the higher premiums for some, the coverage remains much cheaper than any private options on the market.
