Health care is often blamed for crowding out other priorities. This is mostly true, misunderstood and a societal choice.

But this is the exciting thing about national public pharmacare. It's the right thing to do, it will cover all Canadians, it will save lives, AND it will save money. Thus, it will free up resources for other needs. It's hard to understand how any political party could rationally be against it.

Analyses of national public pharmacare show net savings. They all point in the same fiscal direction. Even at a modest level of estimated savings, it's large. For Nova Scotia it's enough to fund a 200 bed community hospital.

EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.

Just dwell on that. We could pay the bulk of tuition for ALL undergraduates in the province.

EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.

And the savings are likely underestimated since the most recent studies (here, here) really only look at low-hanging fruit, primarily from: (1) negotiating better drug prices, (2) rationalizing duplicative administration, and (3) capturing funds that currently go to insurance profits, reserves and mark-ups. 

They don't talk about how much it will save the overall health system or improve the economy by ensuring people get the treatment and stability they need—that diabetics get their insulin.