It’s no secret that Canada’s healthcare system boasts several advantages over that of our neighbours to the South.
We only talk about it all the time to anyone who will listen.
One of those advantages is significantly more affordable medicine. That’s why a group of Minnesotans travelled 600 miles to Fort Frances, Ontario over the weekend to purchase life-saving drugs for a tenth of the price as back home.
I don't normally post about personal things, but this is how fucked our healthcare system is. If you know & care about a type 1 diabetic, you're familiar with this garbage.
Yes, this is a type of insulin not covered by insurance. Check out that price. pic.twitter.com/EWoNEz60r2— Moose (@LitMoose) May 4, 2019
The #CaravanToCanada made its way north to buy insulin, which is used to regulate blood glucose levels for patients with Type 1 diabetes.
One of the travellers, Quinn Nystrom, says a vial of insulin costs around $300 in the United States. In Canada, it costs just $30. Another traveller says they were able to purchase their goods – without a prescription – for $409 USD. In the U.S., they would have had to shell out $5,250 for the same product.
❤❤❤God Bless Canada.❤❤❤What would cost $5,250 in the U.S., I just got for $409.00 U.S. dollars in Canada.#NMNAdvocacy #Insulin4All #Caravan2Canada pic.twitter.com/yJHh8bCs7L
— T. Paulson (@TPaulson1200) May 4, 2019
According to a BMJ medical journal, the price of insulin in the United States has increased an insane 1,100% since the 1980s. Pharmacies in most countries sell insulin for around the same price as in Canada, so it’s no wonder Americans are looking for cheaper alternatives.
“This year it took me 15 phone calls to a variety of parts of the healthcare system over 11 days before I could get my daughter’s insulin refilled. And this is exactly the same insulin we’ve been getting for many years,” said Lija Greenseid, who was a member of the caravan. “But, in Canada, you just walk in and you buy it…It’s literally just as easy as you know, walking up to the pharmacy counter and asking for what you need.”