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drugs. And too many Canadians only f ind this out when they get sick and then f ace considerable f inancial burdens or, worse, real barriers to accessing the health care they need. T he solution f ound in most countries is a system of universal coverage f or prescription drug needs. In the Canadian context, the best way to achieve this is to expand medicare to cover medically necessary pharmaceuticals. Limits would be needed to ensure that only medicines of proven value are covered. And the system would need to leverage its purchasing power to achieve low prices the way every hospital in Canada does f or drugs they provide to patients. But such a system would ensure that everyone would get the medicines they truly need, when and where they need them. Canadians should demand no less. T hus, the next time cancer charities lobby government or the next time that Canadians walk, run, or ride in a cancer f undraiser, I hope they consider advocating f or patients as much as they advocate f or a cure. I am certain we would be marching in protest if our hospitals started charging patients thousands of dollars f or their cancer surgeries. Why shouldnt we protest similar charges to patients every time they have to f ill a prescription outside the hospital setting? Location of care shouldnt matter. Really, shouldnt every cancer patient have access to necessary medications without incurring f inancial hardship on top of the burden of disease? Steve Morgan is an expert advisor with EvidenceNetwork.ca and Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research at the University of British Columbia.