CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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Comparative Study
Estimated effects of adding universal public coverage of an essential medicines list to existing public drug plans in Canada.
Canada's universal health care system does not include universal coverage of prescription drugs. We sought to estimate the effects of adding universal public coverage of an essential medicines list to existing public drug plans in Canada. ⋯ Our analysis showed that adding universal public coverage of essential medicines to the existing public drug plans in Canada could address most of Canadians' pharmaceutical needs and save billions of dollars annually. Doing so may be a pragmatic step forward while more comprehensive pharmacare reforms are planned.