A report, released on June 12 by the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, is being celebrated for its call to implement a universal, single-payer, national pharmacare plan. “(RNAO has) been pushing for this for a long time,” says RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun. “You cannot have healthy people if they don’t have universal access to medications.” In 2018, Canadians spent $34 billion on prescription medication through a patchwork of provincial and private drug plans. The report warns that by 2027, in the absence of a pharmacare plan, those costs could rise to $55.8 billion. “It costs us a lot more not to have (a plan). Both from a financial perspective and access to health care perspective, this is essential, necessary and urgent,” says Grinspun. Former Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins, who headed up the advisory council, predicts Canadians could save roughly $5 billion a year once the recommended plan is fully implemented by 2027. He is calling for a phase-in, with essential drugs covered by 2022, and additional medications added by 2027. (The Craig Needles Show, Global News Radio, June 13)