BC NDP government hoping to score 3 times the brownie points with re-announcement, of a previous announcement, that in itself was a re-announcement
Okay, maybe you lost me
right off the bat, so let me try again. First of all, on
February
9th, 2018, we had the provincial NDP government, led by Health Minister Adrian Dix, let
us know in a banner headline that there would be a:
$105-million investment to make prescription medications more affordable for families
$105-million investment to make prescription medications more affordable for families
The British Columbia government is eliminating PharmaCare deductibles for working families with the lowest incomes in the province, helping to make sure they get the prescription medicines they need but currently are struggling to afford, Health Minister Adrian Dix announced today.
“No
parent should have to make the difficult decision between their family’s health
and putting food on the table,” said Dix. “The investment we’re announcing today will make life more affordable
for British Columbians, while making sure they get the care they need.”
The $105 million being invested in Fair
PharmaCare over three years will eliminate or reduce the deductibles for
240,000 B.C. families.
All families with household net incomes under
$45,000 will benefit. Dix said the biggest impact will be felt by families with
net annual incomes between $15,000 and $30,000. They will have no deductible,
starting Jan. 1, 2019 ... etc ....
That’s announcement
Number One
A week and a half later (February 20th) Finance Minister Carole James informed us that:
Budget 2018 puts people first, makes life more affordable for British
Columbians
and that they were:
... improving B.C.’s Fair PharmaCare program
to eliminate deductibles for families with annual net incomes below $30,000,
starting Jan. 1, 2019. Approximately 240,000 families will receive expanded
coverage.
That’s announcement
Number Two
And finally comes Adrian
Dix once again (January 4th, 2019) to let us know ONCE AGAIN that Lower
income families benefiting from Fair PharmaCare investment and that this
would mean:
... for 240,000 British Columbian families,
the new year brings the help they need with prescription drugs, thanks to a
three-year $105-million investment that is reducing or eliminating deductibles
and co-payments for lower-income households.
Families earning under $45,000 in net annual
income are also benefiting from this investment. Deductibles and co-payments
have been lowered for households earning between $30,000 and $45,000 net,
annually. Fair PharmaCare co-payments have also been eliminated for seniors
born before 1940 earning a household net annual income up to $14,000, and for
the lowest income households – those earning up to $13,750.
There
you go ... that’s Announcement Number
Three
I wish
I knew what the combined number of media contacts, individuals who write the
media releases, and any and all additional assistants there are that we pay for
to churn out “Pat us on the back for how
good we are” announcements”.
They have to number in the multiple dozens ... and heaven only knows at what cost each year.
Just
tell us what we need to know that’s important work the government is doing, and
then don’t tell us over and over again. Oh, and one other thing. Having your media people write, and tell us,
that you’re buying mattresses for seniors, painting highway lines on our
roadways, and installing garbage cans at pull-out, are not vital ... important
... semi-important ... or even of minor importance to British Columbians.
Quit wasting
OUR money!
I’m
Alan Forseth in Kamloops. If you have any thoughts on this commentary, I
welcome you to share them below in the Comments Section.
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