Ontario's premier says she hopes a youth pharmacare plan presented this week in her government's budget helps spur a national drug coverage program.
The provincial plan to cover more than 4,000 medications for Ontarians under 25, with no co-pay or deductible, at an annual cost of $465 million was the centrepiece of the Liberal government's balanced budget.
Premier Kathleen Wynne calls the plan a step toward truly universal coverage and says she would like to see a national pharmacare program.
She says she is certain that other premiers will have questions for her at their next meeting this summer.
Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins says this approach on pharmacare is similar to Ontario's push for pension reform, which saw the province use its own proposed pension plan to successfully push for a national Canada Pension Plan enhancement.
Hoskins says some of his fellow health ministers across the country are reluctant on pharmacare because of up-front costs, but he says he hopes Ontario's plan can show there will be cost savings through bulk purchasing and keeping people healthy.
