Yes, that was what I was alluding to when I said there are two broad paths based in a way on the same principle: that resources are pooled to share risk across the entire population.
The question is: what is the source of that funding? Is it all public sector dollars, in which case federal, provincial, and territorial governments assume all the costs that are currently contributed by employers, employees, and individuals? Or could there be a financing model that would be progressive in its aspiration to achieve equity while accomplishing universal coverage?
The costs of those who are under-covered or not covered at all represent an incremental cost. But if all drug plans in Canada worked on the basis of the same formulary, and if they were all participants in an aggressive drug price negotiation regime, and if PMPRB were able to land where the strategic plan suggested it could, you could get considerably more value from each dollar spent.