Budget 2016 an Attack on Seniors

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario Budget 2016 proved that for Ontario’s seniors, life is harder under the Liberals.

The Liberal Government is nearly doubling the annual deductible under the Ontario Drug Benefit, increasing it by $70. The Budget also increases the co-payment per prescription by $1. Seniors will now have to pay more for life-saving medication, and only the few seniors under the income threshold of $19,300 are offered any relief.
“1 in 10 seniors already don’t fill their prescription because of the cost, and now the government just made medication nearly twice as expensive for seniors. How out of touch is this government to think a senior making $19,000 dollars is rich?” Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown asked the Acting Premier Deb Matthews during Question Period.
This attack on Ontario’s senior citizens is in addition to the government also eliminating the Healthy Homes Renovation Tax Credit, which helped seniors live independently and safely in their homes. What’s more, the Liberal Government’s health care cuts which have disproportionately hurt seniors, including cuts to cataract surgeries and physiotherapy services.
“Seniors already have a tough time finding a doctor. And the Liberals have made that harder by cutting medical residency spots. That comes after the government cut $50-million from senior’s physiotherapy services,” Brown concluded. “Will the Liberals stop their attack on seniors?”