In December 2017, Benefits Canada invited a group of benefits plan advisors to the Canadian Leadership Council on Drug Plan Partnerships in Toronto to discuss the impact of national pharmacare on the private health benefit industry. We didn’t have all the answers but did identify more of the issues our industry is facing…
Canada is one of three developed countries in the world with a universal health-care program that does not include prescription drugs and, as such, medication needs have been met with a patchwork of public and private drug coverage. Although the federal government’s current focus is to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, there seems to be renewed discussion on the development of a national pharmacare program. This is likely due to reports by the House of Commons standing committee on health and the parliamentary budget officer on national pharmacare.