National Pharmacare: An Rx for Change?

Abstract

In Canada, five national commissions have recommended national Pharmacare since its original contrivance in the 1960’s. Canada currently pays the third-highest costs for prescription medicine in the world, yet leaves one-fifth of Canadians struggling to pay for prescription medicine (Hoskins, E., 2019, p.7). In the current system, provincial and territorial governments carry the responsibility for funding and administering outpatient prescription drugs through a patchwork of both public and private insurance plans that vary considerably. Healthcare workers, politicians, pharmaceutical companies, and outspoken Canadians continue contentious debate both in favor and opposition of a national Pharmacare program. Despite potential financial challenges and implications associated with the introduction of a universal and single-payer Pharmacare program, the myriad of health and economic benefits and proposed budget solutions provide compelling support for the implementation of such a system.