Federal Health Minister Mark Holland said he hopes some states will have the government’s new pharmacare plan in place by the end of the year.
In an interview with rosemary burton live Holland said that in conversations with local colleagues, some expressed great enthusiasm for this week’s program covering diabetes medications and contraceptives.
“Negotiations with the provinces are going to take time,” he told CBC’s chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton. “We have some states that are very enthusiastic and want to be on the front lines and want to do this right away, and that also means negotiating with other states to move this forward. enable.
“We want to get people in the early states to have diabetes coverage and contraceptive coverage, and we hope to do that by the end of this year, hopefully.”
The federal Liberal government and NDP have agreed on a framework for a new Pharmacare Act, paving the way for some prescription drugs to be free in Canada. Andrew Chan considers why the first phase of the proposed plan would target parts of contraception and diabetes treatment, and what questions still remain.
The federal pharmacare program is the result of a supply and trust agreement between the Liberals and the NDP, and its initial phase will cover diabetes drugs and contraceptives for all Canadians. The government aims to expand the scope in the future. But the plan would first require a funding agreement with the state.
Alberta and Quebec have already indicated they will not participate in the program.
“Give us the dollars,” Alberta Health Minister Adriana Lagrange said at a news conference Monday.
“Instead of adding more bureaucracy, let us strengthen the programs we actually have today.”
Holland said the federal government and Alberta have been able to work together effectively on a variety of issues and is optimistic they will work together on the Pharmacare Agreement.
Ontario, meanwhile, has so far remained neutral, saying the province is awaiting further details.
“We need to look at and evaluate what the federal government is proposing and how it aligns with, competes with, and works with the Ontario system that already exists,” Health Minister Sylvia Jones said Thursday. said. Saskatchewan also said it is awaiting further information about the program.
Health Minister Mark Holland shares details of the drug bill the Liberal government negotiated with the NDP.
The currently proposed program would cost about $1.5 billion, Holland previously said, but that could change depending on negotiations with the state.
In an interview Sunday, Mr. Holland also commented on the future shape of the pharmacare program, saying the choice is between a new program that completely replaces the existing insurance system or one that fills in some gaps.
“What we’re trying to figure out is what’s the most efficient, efficient and effective way to get everyone insured and to make sure that insurance gives us the health outcomes that we want. Or so,” Barton said.
“The NDP is very clear: They want single payer, universal, full government coverage, total elimination of insurance companies,” said Holland, who is in favor of considering the first iteration of the program. Although he claimed that What was most effective?
“This discussion was too philosophical, too academic,” he said.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poièvre said this week that his party would consider the Pharmacare Act. At Thursday’s press conference, he did not answer questions about whether the Conservatives would scrap the plan if they came to power.
- Have any questions about the National Pharmacare Plan? Send an email to ask@cbc.ca
