Pharmacare won't be free for all Canadians, Bill Morneau says

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau says a new national pharmacare program will be "fiscally responsible" and designed to fill in gaps, not provide prescription drugs for Canadians already covered by existing plans.

Speaking at the Economic Club of Canada in Ottawa to kick off a post-budget sales job, Morneau said many Canadians are without coverage, including people who are self-employed. Some parts of the system are working well, but others are not, he said.

"We need a strategy to deal with the fact not everyone has access, and we need to do it in a way that's responsible, that deals with the gaps, but doesn't throw out the system that we currently have," he said.

 Eric Hoskins, Ontario's former Liberal health minister, will chair a council that will consult with stakeholders and make recommendations to government on how to proceed with a national plan.

Morneau said the committee will need time to carefully study the issue because the workforce and cost of pharmaceuticals have changed dramatically in the last two decades. 

Morneau says free pharmacare won't be for everyone1:30

Ontario adopted a pharmacare plan this year that offers free medication to minors. 

Called OHIP+, the program is expected to cost about $450 million a year and affect about four million people provincewide. It expands a program already providing coverage for Ontario's seniors and those on Ontario Works that offers financial and employment help to residents of the province.

No cost estimate for a national pharmacare program was provided in the budget, prompting NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to declare the strategy a "fantasy."

An association representing pharmacists said in a news release that access to critical drugs is a serious problem.

"I see firsthand the difficulties my patients face when they cannot afford the medications they need to be healthy. This is unacceptable, and we are encouraged that the federal government will be looking at options for how to best serve these patients," said Alistair Bursey, chair of the Canadian Pharmacists Association.

The groups said it is also important for medication to be properly dispensed, and that pharmacists often see patients who are on too many medications, or who aren't taking them as directed.

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