As Benefits Canada reported last week, the Ontario government announced in its 2017 budget that it will begin offering universal pharmacare to youth under the age of 25. The program will take effect on January 1, 2018, and will cover the 4,400 medications in the Ontario drug benefit formulary.
“By eliminating financial barriers to prescribed drugs, [the program] will improve access, lead to healthier lives for our children and youth, and is a major step forward towards universal pharmacare,” Eric Hoskins, minister of health and long-term care, said in a release.
Read: Ontario pharmacare program provides some relief to plan sponsors
Hoskins also noted employers would see save costs from reduced administrative fees, CBC News reported.
Other stakeholders have pointed out that while plan sponsors’ costs will drop, youth don’t often take many expensive medications. As a result, they’ll see limited savings.
But critics say the universality of the program is wasteful, and the government shouldn’t pay for drugs for the children of affluent families.
Read: What does Ontario NDP pharmacare proposal mean for plan sponsors?
What do you think? Should other provinces follow Ontario’s lead in implementing pharmacare for youth under 25? Have your say here.
As for last week’s poll, it asked whether respondents are considering changing their benefits plans to reduce costs this year. The responses showed a fairly even split: 37.5 per cent of respondents said they’re considering significant changes to rein in high drug costs. Another 37.5 per cent their costs are manageable and under control. And 25 per cent said their organization had already taken steps to control benefits costs.
