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Rochon on the lam Quebec's new prescription drug insurance program is quickly approaching the end of its first year in operations and the report does not look good. Things started to go bad almost from the start: people with low incomes couldn't afford the deductibles and stopped taking their medication, which in turn led many people--particularly those with psychiatric problems--back to the hospital. >> Health Minister Jean Rochon has known about the problems from the get-go too, and while he has tinkered with the system in order to try to fix the problem, he's also been avoiding advocacy groups like the plague since that time as well. Most recently, the Coalition sur l'assurance-médicaments contacted Rochon via mail in mid-October; his assistant told them they could expect to hear from him shortly. They're still waiting. "The program puts people in a position where they have to choose between buying food, paying rent and taking their medication," says the Coalition's Jennifer Auchinleck. "The minister has been totally unresponsive." >> Early last week, the coalition received a shot in the arm for its cause: Ombudsman Daniel Jacoby released a report shaming the government for its lack of action on the matter. Coincidentally, Guy Macdonald of the Ombudsman's office says Rochon never really got back to them either--even though they attempted to contact him three times. "We've received over 900 complaints about the prescription drug plan, and they're still coming in," Macdonald says. "The minister says he's moving on the issue, and we would really like to believe him, but..." --Philip Preville
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