Through you, Mr. Chair, I thank you for the opportunity to be here.
My name is Mike Bleskie, and I have been a type 1 diabetic for 19 years. I'm also a gig worker in my 30s. As such, like many, I don't have private health insurance, and I either cannot qualify or cannot afford to pay for a plan myself.
Although Ontario's benefits cover a portion of my personal expenses, my out-of-pocket costs stand at about $450 a month, mostly from my continuous glucose monitor, which is not covered in Ontario, and my pump supplies. That leaves me with hard decisions about the cost of food and rent at the beginning of every single month. It also leads to situations in which I'm forced to consider rationing my supplies, which can lead to health complications.
My experience talking to nurses, doctors and other diabetics across Canada tells me that I am far from alone. Insulin is not a luxury for us; it is a basic necessity for every single type 1 diabetic. Without the proper treatment, we are exposed to complications like debilitating nerve pain, amputation and permanent blindness. A universal single-payer pharmacare system is the only policy that guarantees that every type 1 diabetic in Canada, regardless of their economic circumstance, can access live-sustaining therapy when they need it. Policies that attempt to fill gaps only leave more gaps that need to be filled later, such as what we have seen in Ontario with OHIP+ .
I urge this committee to support this bill promptly so that we can get insulin into the hands of diabetics as soon as possible. I'm also asking this committee to ensure that syringes, pen needles, pump cannulas and continuous glucose monitors are fully covered as part of the diabetic supply fund contained in Bill C-64, as these items represent the biggest expenses to most diabetics and, in many cases, are not part of public coverage in most provinces.
I appreciate your time, and we welcome your questions.