Abstract
Policy decisions about healthcare coverage in Canada and the United States in the 1960s placed two virtually identical systems on different evolutionary paths in the physician and hospital sectors. However, prescription drug coverage remained outside Canada’s single-payer model, and employer-based coverage continued to be the norm for the workforce population, as is the case across the broad healthcare system in the United States. As a result the current debate about pharmacare in Canada mirrors in political microcosm the larger debate on universal health insurance among American Democrats. In each case the near-term prospects for a single-payer plan appear slim.
Highlights
The current debate about pharmacare in Canada, as represented in recent articles in this journal by Hajizadeh and Edmonds[1] and by Lewis,[2] mirrors in political microcosm in the drug sector the larger debate on universal health insurance across the broader healthcare arena among American Democrats. Those who argue for a federal comprehensive single-payer pharmacare plan in Canada have their counterparts in the advocates of “Medicare for All” in the United States
For reasons grounded in the macro-politics of the time, Canada’s single-payer program extended to the entire population, while
The bulk of the workforce population continued to rely on private employer-based coverage for prescription drugs, while various public programs of drug coverage for the elderly and social assistance recipients were adopted at the provincial level
Summary
The current debate about pharmacare in Canada, as represented in recent articles in this journal by Hajizadeh and Edmonds[1] and by Lewis,[2] mirrors in political microcosm in the drug sector the larger debate on universal health insurance across the broader healthcare arena among American Democrats. Those who argue for a federal comprehensive single-payer pharmacare plan in Canada have their counterparts in the advocates of “Medicare for All” in the United States.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International journal of health policy and management
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
