Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Finance Bill Morneau arrive in the Foyer of the House of Commons to table the Budget, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 19, 2019.The federal government outlined its plans to set up a national pharmacare program Tuesday, setting aside as much as $1-billion for expensive drugs to treat rare diseases and $35-million for a new national drug agency in the budget.
The Canadian Drug Agency would create a national formulary, assess the effectiveness of new prescription drugs and negotiate prices on behalf of the country’s drug plans, which could help lower the cost of drugs for Canadians by as much as $3-billion. The agency would ensure, for the first time, that drug-price negotiation is carried out by a single entity in Canada. The $35-million allocated for the body will be disbursed over four years.
Canada’s current patchwork of drug coverage includes more than 100 public programs and 100,000 private insurance plans, creating inadequate and inconsistent coverage for Canadians. The aim of pharmacare is to make prescription drugs more affordable and to expand coverage so all Canadians have access to the medications they need.The government also proposed up to $1-billion over two years to create a national strategy for high-cost, often life-saving drugs for rare diseases.
The budget measures address some of the recent recommendations made by the National Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare in its interim report. The council was created in last year’s federal budget, with a mandate of recommending ways for the government to move ahead with a national pharmacare program. It is chaired by Eric Hoskins, a former Ontario health minister, and will issue a full set of recommendations by the end of June.
globepolitics Sad day again for Canada the Liberal Majority in the Justice Committee again Obstructed Justice by voting to STOP further investigation of themselves - under Trudeau Democracy is dead in Canada...no wonder Trudeau’s on the OECD watchlist for corruption!!!!
globepolitics Spend spend spend!!!
globepolitics Why would I pay to read you news when I can read it elsewhere for free?
globepolitics Look like kids with their new colouring books
globepolitics This is going to go down as on of the worst governments in Canadian history
globepolitics 41 million dollars in new, taxpayer funded spending. WTF are these two smiling about?
globepolitics I hope c2c Pharmacare cause older woman should not have to take part time jobs to afford husbands medications! Ive met more than enough in retirement towns!!!!
globepolitics Dirt bags
globepolitics Trudeau seriously looks like a child who believes he can't do anything wrong -_- smh I like how he's funding this, but what about the young man who was diagnosed with a lethal illness and will likely die before a cure is made. Oh right, Trudeau will help him die (euthanasia)
globepolitics Paywall going somewhere else!!