If you’ve ever longingly wondered why Canada can’t be more like Sweden, maybe a new pharmacare bill will help you feel a bit better.
Driving the news: The federal government has tabled the Pharmacare Act, which, if passed, would give Canadians access to free diabetes medication and birth control. Okay, it’s not nearly as good as Sweden’s capped pay system, but who doesn’t like cheaper meds?
Big picture: It’s the first step in what Ottawa says will become a national universal pharmacare plan that will cover more drugs in the future. They can probably drop the ‘national’ part, though, as Alberta and Québec have confirmed they don’t want anything to do with it.
- The long-awaited bill was a key concession as part of a supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP from 2022 that has helped keep the Liberals in power.
- The feds now have about a year to work with provincial and territorial governments to implement the plan before the next federal election, which will happen before fall 2025.
Why it matters: Roughly one in five adult Canadians don’t have coverage for their prescriptions and have to pay out of pocket. Meanwhile, nearly 25% of Canadians say they have split pills, skipped doses, or decided not to renew or fill their prescriptions due to the high costs.
- Critics have, however, questioned the ~$1.5 billion price tag given that most Canadians have private coverage and there are existing supports for low-income individuals.
What’s next: If the bill passes, the Canadian Drug Agency will have until the end of the year to make a list of essential prescription drugs to cover with the next phase of the plan.—LA