The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) has issued a statement welcoming the federal government’s establishment of a national advisory council on pharmacare.

In the release, the association revealed that it “shares the government’s desire to find a way to ensure that prescription drugs are more affordable for everyone,” particularly those who lack the benefits afforded by a group employer plan.

“We support additional efforts by the government to ensure those who currently don’t have supplemental drug coverage benefit from coverage in the future and we look forward to sharing our ideas on how best to do this,” said CLHIA president and CEO Stephen Frank.

Frank added that the “right solutions” will ensure that the costs to taxpayers will not be too high, that group health plans are put at risk by any changes, and that patients have access to the medicines they need without having to worry about prices.

About 26 million Canadians benefit from employer-sponsored health insurance, CLHIA noted in its release.

“This market works well today and we strongly support efforts to broaden coverage to all Canadians,” the associated added.