OTTAWA — A parliamentary committee is recommending that prescription medications be publicly funded across Canada under a universal pharmacare program.
After two years of work that included hearing from 99 witnesses, the House of Commons health committee says it believes a national pharmacare program would deliver better health care for Canadians at a better cost.
The report includes 18 recommendations that it describes as a blueprint for establishing a single-payer, publicly funded prescription drug coverage program for all Canadians.
But there was disagreement among the all-party committee about just how much such a program would cost and how it should be implemented.
Committee chair Bill Casey says the advisory group established by the federal government to study the idea will be helpful in working out the complexities of bringing such a program to life.
Regardless, the committee was unified in saying it hopes a national program will be implemented, saying the status quo is not an option.