Industry experts believe that following the national elections, the Liberal government is now more likely to pass a universal drug plan after losing its majority.
Although the Liberals won the most seats in the election, they still fell short of a majority; this means the re-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have to rely on the support of the NDP. Both the Liberals and the NDP have promised to work on a new national drug plan as part of their platforms.
“I think this is our best chance, the best opportunity we’ve ever had to bring pharmacare into the healthcare system,” said former minister of health & long-term care Eric Hoskins, who has led a federal advisory council on the drug plan. “I feel even more strongly about that today. I am confident that the Liberals will follow through on their commitment.”
The federal advisory led by Hoskins recommended a universal, single-payer public pharmacare system to be implemented by 2027, costing $15.3 billion a year in new government spending.
While the NDP pledged to implement the plan as soon as possible, the Liberals’ platform failed to mention the single-payer system.
University of British Columbia health economist Steve Morgan told Reuters that the election results created a “window of opportunity” for the plan to succeed.
Advocates of the national drug program have also shared their enthusiasm for the plan’s possible launch.
“We continue to believe strongly that any reform should use government resources wisely and build on what works well today,” Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association president Stephen Frank said in a recent statement, adding that CLHIA looks forward to working with the government over the plan.
However, Morgan is also anticipating that pharmaceutical lobbyists will push back against such a decision.
“I think we are going to see a lobbying effort by the pharmaceutical industry in Canada the likes of which we’ve never seen,” the economist noted.
Reuters reported that universal drug coverage could result in a huge blow to the pharmaceutical industry; drugmakers’ revenues could take a $4.8 billion hit each year by 2027 should the plan pass.
Canada remains the only developed country with a universal healthcare system that does not cover prescription drugs for all; most Canadians rely on employer-funded drug plans.
