Pharmacare is a Canadian proposal for a publicly-funded insurance program for medications,[1] similar to Medicare for health insurance. Limited pharmacare programs exist in the provinces of Ontario,[2] Manitoba,[3] and British Columbia.[4] Multiple organizers and commenters have advocated a pan-Canadian pharmacare program to complement the existing health system, but the precise model for implementation is unclear.[5][6][7]
In 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to implement pharmacare if re-elected.[8][9] They formed the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare led by Canadian physician and former politician Eric Hoskins, in June of 2019 the advisory council gave their final report along with recommended actions for the government to enact, among these recommendations were establishing universal single-payer pharmacare and establishing a Canadian drug agency.[10] In February 2024, the NDP and Liberals reached an agreement on proposed draft legislation for a pharmacare program.[11] The proposed program would create a single-payer system to cover expenses for contraceptives and diabetes medication in the first phase, with a designated budget of $1.5 billion. Subsequent phases would develop a national formulary and national purchasing plan, at an estimated cost of $38.9 billion for the 2027/28 fiscal year.[12] They also formed a Canadaian drug agency turning the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health into the Canada's Drug Agency tasked with creating a formulary and a national purchasing plan.[13]
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