The federal government has taken a significant step toward universal pharmacare by appointing a five-member expert panel to recommend how to finance and operate a single-payer drug plan. However, Blacklock's Reporter says Canadians won’t see a final report until after the next federal election.“The Committee of Experts is an important part of our effort to work towards national universal pharmacare,” said Health Minister Mark Holland in a statement. The panel, composed of three doctors, a nurse, and a pharmacist, is tasked with providing recommendations by October 10, 2025.The panel’s work follows the recent passage of Bill C-64, An Act Respecting Pharmacare, which allocated $1.9 billion over five years to cover diabetes and contraceptive medications as a first step. The legislation aims to lay the groundwork for broader universal drug coverage.“This is not universality. But it is the first step towards universality, and it is an incredibly important first step,” said former Sen. Frances Lankin during the bill’s final debate. “This is not a toe in the water. This is jumping in off the end of the dock in cold water, not knowing exactly what you’re going to find beneath there.”The appointees include:Dr. Steve Morgan, health economist at the University of British Columbia;Dr. Nav Persaud, Canada Research Chair in Health Justice at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital;Dr. Stéphane Ahern, professor at Université de Montréal;Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions;Amy Lamb, executive director of the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada, based in Prince Albert, Sask.The Department of Health outlined the panel’s mission: to develop operational and financial models for a national pharmacare program. This includes determining whether Canadians might pay nominal fees per prescription, such as the $5 per prescription cap with $100 annual household limits proposed in an earlier federal report.While universal pharmacare could cost over $15 billion annually, proponents argue it would save taxpayers billions through reduced drug prices and fewer hospitalizations.An earlier report, A Prescription For Canada: Achieving Pharmacare For All, highlighted the challenges of Canada’s current “patchwork” system of more than 100 government and 100,000 private drug insurance plans. It called the system “fragmented, uneven, unequal, and unfair,” leaving about one million Canadians unable to afford prescribed medications even with private insurance.“We know national pharmacare will result in savings,” the report concluded, emphasizing the long-term benefits of universal drug coverage.
The federal government has taken a significant step toward universal pharmacare by appointing a five-member expert panel to recommend how to finance and operate a single-payer drug plan. However, Blacklock's Reporter says Canadians won’t see a final report until after the next federal election.“The Committee of Experts is an important part of our effort to work towards national universal pharmacare,” said Health Minister Mark Holland in a statement. The panel, composed of three doctors, a nurse, and a pharmacist, is tasked with providing recommendations by October 10, 2025.The panel’s work follows the recent passage of Bill C-64, An Act Respecting Pharmacare, which allocated $1.9 billion over five years to cover diabetes and contraceptive medications as a first step. The legislation aims to lay the groundwork for broader universal drug coverage.“This is not universality. But it is the first step towards universality, and it is an incredibly important first step,” said former Sen. Frances Lankin during the bill’s final debate. “This is not a toe in the water. This is jumping in off the end of the dock in cold water, not knowing exactly what you’re going to find beneath there.”The appointees include:Dr. Steve Morgan, health economist at the University of British Columbia;Dr. Nav Persaud, Canada Research Chair in Health Justice at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital;Dr. Stéphane Ahern, professor at Université de Montréal;Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions;Amy Lamb, executive director of the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada, based in Prince Albert, Sask.The Department of Health outlined the panel’s mission: to develop operational and financial models for a national pharmacare program. This includes determining whether Canadians might pay nominal fees per prescription, such as the $5 per prescription cap with $100 annual household limits proposed in an earlier federal report.While universal pharmacare could cost over $15 billion annually, proponents argue it would save taxpayers billions through reduced drug prices and fewer hospitalizations.An earlier report, A Prescription For Canada: Achieving Pharmacare For All, highlighted the challenges of Canada’s current “patchwork” system of more than 100 government and 100,000 private drug insurance plans. It called the system “fragmented, uneven, unequal, and unfair,” leaving about one million Canadians unable to afford prescribed medications even with private insurance.“We know national pharmacare will result in savings,” the report concluded, emphasizing the long-term benefits of universal drug coverage.
