Pharmacare is a government-funded health insurance program that helps make prescription drugs cheaper or free. The term is primarily used in Canada.
The term pharmacare was coined in the 1960s, when organizers first had the idea to provide Canadians with a publicly-funded insurance plan that would cover prescription medications. It comes from pharmacy and is modeled on the word Medicare, Canada’s healthcare system. People who live in provinces with pharmacare can fill prescriptions for specific drugs at no cost, with the federal government footing the bill.