In this assignment, you are asked to prepare a written paper on a health issue. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate what you have learned through the course material (readings, activities and assignments) to analyze and provide recommended action(s) to address a health issue of your choice. You may build on a topic that you explored previously

 This paper considers the issue of Pharmacare in Canada, which represents a major gap in Canada Health Coverage and should be included under the principals of the Canada Health Act (C.H.A.). It begins with a description of the issue, describes why pharmacare is a medical necessity for many Canadians, discusses the impact of the current application of pharmacare, and details how the absence of universal pharmacare is a void in the universal healthcare coverage promised to all Canadians.   Morally and ethically, as well as financially, providing a national healthcare is an imperative that must be addressed, and potential solutions are described. This paper concludes with recommendations to fill this void and achieve the promise of Canada Health envisioned long ago.
Introduction to Canada’s Pharmacare Problem
In 1984, the Canada Health Act (C.H.A.) was passed into law. It is overarching legislation that sets the criteria and conditions for insured health care services, and it establishes the national standards that provinces and territories must meet for funding ("Factsheet: Understanding the Canada Health Act", 2017). Bringing together and enhancing two pervious health acts that reached back as far as the 1950s, the goal of the C.H.A. is to establish a publicly funded health care system for all Canadians that bases patients’ access to health care service on need rather than the ability to pay.
C.H.A. enactment established healthcare coverage for hospital services, physician services, and surgical-dental services. However, it currently does not provide for pharmacare; coverage ends as a doctor hands a patient a prescription. Pharmacare, in general terms, provides health care coverage for medication (drugs), medical supplies (e.g. wheelchairs, hearing aids, and bandages), and service fees (e.g., pharmacy dispensing fees).
Pharmacare in its Historical Context
Pharmacare was discussed as part of a comprehensive national healthcare program as far back as the 1940s, but it was decided to implement Canadian healthcare as “policy in stages” (Boothe, 2010). Hospital care was deemed most important in terms of impact and costs. Coverage of this was initially implemented through the Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act of 1957. This was followed by general medical care initiated by the Medical Care Act in 1964. Pharmacare was deferred because, at the time, it was only a small cost of care and there was a sense that there was “excessive patient demand, excessive prescribing, too many repeat prescriptions, [and] the lack of historic plateau (Daw, 2017).
Unfortunately, no Federal legislation on pharmacare followed. In the absence of Federal action, some provinces (e.g., Saskatchewan and British Columbia) independently tried to fill the void. In the 1970s, scientific advances led to the development of “blockbuster” drugs that addressed medical issues experienced by large swaths of people delivered at reasonable prices.