The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is asking the Ontario government to act cautiously in welcoming private label products under the provincial drug program and allowing them to be interchangeable with other products. Presently, the Ontario Drug Benefit Act doesn’t list private label products as drug products, meaning they’re not eligible for public funding under the drug benefit program. […]
In its 2018 budget, the federal government created an advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare, led by former Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins. The council, which solicited submissions from Canadians between June and September, is expected to release its final report in the spring. Whatever the report recommends, Canada is closer to a […]
Some 731,000 Canadians borrow money to pay for drugs prescribed by their doctors, according to new research by the University of British Columbia. The research, which used data from a 2016 Statistics Canada survey, found 2.5 per cent of respondents said they have to borrow money for prescriptions. Canadians between the ages of 19 and 34 were 3.5-times […]
The landscape in the pharmaceutical world is forever changing, as drug costs continue to rise and drug plan sustainability is at risk, said Alberta Blue Cross’ Krystal Wynnyk at the 2018 Calgary Drug Trends Summit on Oct. 25. “We’re stuck trying to find a balance between plan sponsor costs and drug sustainability, and balancing that […]
Private drug plans are hugely valuable, for employees and employers alike, and they need to continue to be a part of the national drug landscape, even with a pharmacare program, said one speaker at the 2018 Calgary Drug Trends Summit. At the same time, drug costs are creating sustainability issues, said Sarah Lussier Hoskyn, senior analyst of […]
The national pharmacare debate is lacking a clear understanding of the coverage already available to Canadians who may be at risk of letting prescriptions go unfilled because of cost, according to a new report by the Fraser Institute. Looking at provincial drug programs across Canada, the report noted British Columbia’s pharmacare plan covers 70 per cent of eligible prescription drugs […]
Any decision reached on pharmacare reform in Canada should guarantee the viability of current health benefits plans, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association in its submission to the advisory council on the implementation of national pharmacare. Jeopardizing current benefits plans could lead to a delay in access to new medicines and could potentially […]
On Sept. 20, the 2018 Halifax Benefits Summit featured insightful sessions on benefits, health and wellness and drug plan trends. With population numbers struggling in the Maritimes, the conference looked at how companies can ensure they’re providing plan members with the best, most competitive benefits options in order to attract and retain talent. Here are some of the highlights of […]
A coalition comprised of dozens of federal and provincial health-care organizations, including providers, patient groups, academics, health practitioner unions and professional associations, have teamed up to create a set of principles for national pharmacare in Canada. First, the coaltion believes pharmacare should work as a clear extension of Canada’s current universal health-care system, bringing pharmaceutical services in […]
Public drug plan spending continued its upward trend in 2016-17, though at a much slower rate rather in 2015-16, according to a new report by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. The analysis, which focuses on the public drug plans participating in the National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System initiative, found spending increased just 1.9 per cent in 2016-17, […]