OTTAWA—The Liberal government teased details of an emerging pharmacare plan in its election-ready budget Tuesday, outlining modest “initial steps” in its promised effort to make prescription medicine more affordable. The measures announced in Tuesday’s budget were presented as “foundational” steps toward building a new national pharmacare program, ahead of the council’s final report expected this spring. Article Continued BelowCanada is the only country in the world with universal health care but no national drug coverage plan. Parliament’s budget watchdog estimated last year that a national pharmacare program would cost $22.6 billion per year in 2020-21. “We’re going to get at the challenge at getting at national pharmacare in this country, but we’re going to do it in the right way.” Alex Ballingall is an Ottawa-based reporter covering national politics.

Source: thestar March 19, 2019 20:43 UTC