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The last window of opportunity to inform federal lawmakers about the implications of a national pharmacare plan might soon be closing. At the end of September, the Liberal government’s Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare will wrap up its public consultation. There’s a lot at stake in the council’s deliberations.

As a universal single-payer public drug plan, national pharmacare would replace Canada’s current mixed public-private drug insurance system. The council has an obligation to tell the public the truth about how this change will affect Canadians’ access to medicines. There are several questions that require serious answers from the government.

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National pharmacare is being sold to Canadians on the bold promise that it will cover all necessary medications. Under current proposals, the government will decide which drugs are necessary. If it is not on its list, it’s not covered. The most generous option that the council has contemplated is covering the same number of drugs as existing public plans do. How that would compare to private-sector plans now is something Canadians need to be told.