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 […]
Spending on prescription drugs is expected to total $33.7 billion in 2018, according to a new report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Of that total, $19.3 billion will come from private insurance and individuals paying out of pocket, while the remaining $14.4 billion will be financed by the public sector. As a whole, drug spending […]
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 2018 Calgary Drug Trends Summit shone a spotlight on a wide range of trends, from new advances in drug and lifestyle therapies to the impact of cannabis legalization on benefits coverage to drug plan cost management. Here are some of the highlights of the sessions: A look at pharmacist-led deprescribing using therapeutic nutrition intervention Achieving radiant […]
Well beyond childhood vaccines and the annual flu shot, the role of vaccines is evolving, from saving lives to improving life-long health and well-being. There is a shift underway with the development of vaccines to prevent or treat chronic conditions in addition to preventing infectious diseases. “Vaccines offer an opportunity to reduce disease as well as health-care […]
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 Co-operators Life Insurance Co. is introducing optional medical cannabis coverage for its largest group plan sponsors. While the coverage can be added as an optional provision under an extended health-care plan, it requires prior authorization and is subject to an annual maximum. The insurer will consider cannabis an eligible expense under a health-care spending account, as long […]
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 […]