Friends of Medicare handing out protest postcards

4:45 pm
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4/9/2010

Friends of Medicare is stepping up its campaign against the province's proposed seniors drug plan.

That's the plan that was put on hold last week by Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky. He inherited a program from his predecessor Ron Leipert that would see most seniors pay up $15 per prescription, although low-income seniors would get their drugs for free.

Noel Somerville, who is the chairman of Public Interest Alberta’s seniors task force, says that's misleading.

"What it was was a giant gift to the insurance industry in this province," remarks Somerville.

Dave Eggen, the executive director for Friends of Medicare, says the plan would have many seniors paying more out of pocket for drugs than they do now.

"It's not universal, and because it targets a group by income and by age it's best to scrap it and start over," says Eggen. "The only small redeeming quality is that it had a low-income component to it. But it was trying to finance that on the backs of middle-class seniors, which again was hardly reasonable."

Friends of Medicare is making post cards available to protest the program and is conducting some town hall meetings to consult seniors on what a new plan should look like. (sj, td, ccg)