Are you able to afford your medications?

Cross Country Checkup1:51:34Can Canada afford a national universal pharmacare plan?

The agreement between the federal Liberals and NDP to fund certain contraceptive and diabetes drugs has been called the first step to a national universal pharmacare plan in Canada. However, the Parliamentary Budget Office estimates the cost of true, universal pharmacare would be 40 billion dollars. Are you able to afford your medications? Do you think we can afford a national pharmacare plan?

The federal government released the details of its pharmacare bill this past week.

It's a deal that will cover some diabetes treatments, and contraception -- but it's being touted as the first step in a broader national, universal pharmacare plan.

About 1 in 5 Canadians don't have any kind of drug coverage according to Statistics Canada.

And Canada's federal health minister said this deal will cost roughly 1.5 billion dollars.

This week Checkup is asking....

Are you able to afford your medications? And can Canada afford a national pharmacare plan?

And our Ask Me Anything is on the life and legacy of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Steve Paikin is a veteran broadcaster and journalist who has covered and interviewed Mulroney. He'll take your questions in our last half-hour.

Join Ian Hanomansing on CBC Radio One, CBC Listen and CBC News Network. Call Checkup at 1-888-416-8333, send an email text (226-758-8924) or go to CBC.ca/AIRCHECK.