Ontario’s Finance Minister Vic Fedeli delivered the province’s first economic update since the government was elected earlier this year. The plan included recent announcements regarding Ontario’s health-care system and also new proposals, such as the Low‐income Individuals and Families Tax (LIFT) Credit that would impact about 1.1 million people. In addition, the Government indicated upcoming changes to be announced regarding the Ontario Drug Benefit Program and the province’s social assistance programs.
“We’ve been urging the Government to implement a comprehensive strategy to ensure that Ontarians with prediabetes and diabetes have access to prevention, treatment and screening supports, as well as the medications and devices they require for the best health outcomes possible,” says said Amanda Thambirajah, director of government relations for Diabetes Canada.
Diabetes Canada is calling for all levels of government to support Diabetes 3600 – a national strategy and evidence-based action plan to prevent and manage the diabetes epidemic. Developed in rigorous collaboration with more than 100 expert academic, health-care, government, private industry and patient advocate stakeholders, the evidence-based action plan will enhance the prevention, screening and management of diabetes to achieve better health for Canadians.
Diabetes Canada is requesting an investment of $150 million over seven years from the federal government and is urging all provincial governments to voice their support for the strategy. This investment would save the nation’s health-care system more than $9 billion while preventing the development of nearly one million diabetes cases nationally.
Another notable ask from Diabetes Canada is continuing Ontario’s Basic Income Pilot Project until 2020, its original end date, as this would provide the Government with robust data to make evidence-based informed decisions as it reforms Ontario’s social assistance programs.
Diabetes Canada looks forward to working with the Government on policies to help end hallway medicine while efficiently spending health-care dollars; collaborating on ways to more effectively deal with the diabetes epidemic; and implementing a comprehensive provincial diabetes strategy. “We plan to follow-up on our advocacy asks as we work to help improve the lives of Ontarians living with and affected by diabetes,” says Thambirajah.
An estimated 1 in 3 Ontarians live with diabetes or prediabetes – approximately 4.3 million people. The number of people with diabetes and prediabetes is expected to rise by 30 per cent over the next 10 years, with the cost to the health-care system increasing from $1.5 billion to $1.9 billion.