The Project

This project builds upon a previous study conducted by ARI and its partners in 2015, which found one-quarter of Canadian households struggling to keep up with prescription drug costs. In 2020, during a pandemic that threatens their economic livelihood and health, this project finds that access to prescription drugs remains difficult for a significant portion of the population due to costs and inadequate insurance and/or government coverage. Additional features of this study include overwhelming support for a national pharmacare program in Canada and similarly high levels of support for certain funding measures, including tax increases.

The Report

Access for all: Near universal support for a pharmacare plan covering Canadians’ prescription drug costs

One-in-four Canadian households struggle to fill needed prescriptions October 29, 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic has put Canada’s health care

About the Partners

About the Partners:

The study was conducted in partnership with several institutions across Canada and involved experts in public health. The institutions involved in the partnership include the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health; St. Michael’s Hospital and University of Toronto; the Carleton University Faculty of Public Affairs and School of Public Policy and Administration; and Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

About the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health:

The School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) is part of the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine. Its focus is on training the next generation of public health leaders to generate new knowledge and work to improve and sustain the health of all people, in Canada and abroad. The goal of the School of Population and Public Health is to provide a vibrant interdisciplinary academic environment at a critical time in the development of public health in Canada.

About St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto:

St. Michael’s Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 27 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital’s recognized areas of expertise. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. St. Michael’s Hospital is part of Unity Health Toronto, which works to advance the health of everyone in Toronto’s urban communities and beyond. Its health network serves patients, residents and clients across the full spectrum of care, spanning primary care, secondary community care, tertiary and quaternary care services to post-acute through rehabilitation, palliative care and long-term care, while investing in world-class research and education.

About the Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration:

Part of Carleton University’s Faculty of Public Affairs, the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) is the oldest school of its type in Canada. SPPA prepares students for careers of leadership and meaningful contribution across the public, private and nonprofit sectors, delivering a range of professionally-relevant academic programs that balance theory and practice, tradition and innovation.

About the Women’s College Hospital:

For more than 100 years Women’s College Hospital (WCH) has been developing revolutionary advances in healthcare. Today, WCH is a world leader in the health of women and Canada’s leading, academic ambulatory hospital. A champion of health equity, WCH advocates for the health of all women from diverse cultures and backgrounds and ensures their needs are reflected in the care they receive. It focuses on delivering innovative solutions that address Canada’s most pressing issues related to population health, patient experience and system costs. The WCH Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV) is developing new, scalable models of care that deliver improved outcomes for patients and sustainable solutions for the health system as a whole.

About Angus Reid Institute:

The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) was founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research foundation established to enhance and encourage better understanding of political, cultural and socioeconomic issues affecting Canadians. ARI commissions, conducts and disseminates original, publicly accessible and impartial statistical public opinion polling research and policy analysis.