Prescription Drug Coverage Analysis

Health care expenditure accounted for an estimated 11% (214.9 billion) of Canada’s GDP in 2014 (CIHI, 2014). Canada boasts a universal, cost-effective and fair health care system to its citizens (Picard, 2010). However, despite great claims and large expenses incurred Canada’s health care system has been reported inefficient in it’s delivery to the population (Davis, Schoen, & Stremikis, 2010; Picard, 2010). As inconsistencies exist in health care delivery across the country, choosing priorities for the health of the Canadian people becomes of vital importance. In Ontario, progress toward a better health care system has been stated to be moving forward by putting the needs of the “patient’s first” (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care [MOHLTC], 2015). This policy brief will give a background of health care issues in Canada related to Ontario. Three evidence-based priorities will be suggested for Ontario’s health policy agenda for the next three to five years. Furthermore, through a critical analysis of these issues a recommendation of the top priority issue for the agenda will be presented.

Canada 's healthcare system is praised globally for its universal and free healthcare. It started to take shape after World War II in 1945. Health insurance was introduced and was attempted, but was not successful even though there was an increase in the spending of health related services and goods. Fast forward a few years to 1961 where Tommy Douglas, the premier of Saskatchewan, developed the idea for an all-inclusive insurance plan. He later inspired the Medical Care Act in Canada in 1967, when he pointed out health care is a right for all Canadians. From this one thought, Canada has become of the many countries with a universal health care system. Ever since Tommy Douglas sparked the idea for health care coverage, Canada is praised for the way it carries out its system because of several key features. This system is publically funded, is universal and is accessible to everyone across the nation. Because this is a public system, funding comes from the tax payers and some federal funding, so there is no extra cost for the patients. Also, being a universal system it has offered care to all Canadians, immigrants and visitors. Unlike the U.S who does not provide healthcare to its entire population because it is a private system; access depends on how much someone could afford, and how

In Canada the services, medication and hospital fee are controlled by the government, this created a better outcome for the security of the citizen. This regulation can lead to major saving in term of the GDP per capita paid by the government in this regard. The government negotiates drug prices so by doing that prices are more affordable for the people. It’s not necessary the uses of co-pays and deductible, but if any type of charged for any reason this can still be a dissent price by the patient. As result of this Canadian are proud and feel secured by the contribution of the social

America has a very disorganized and fragmented healthcare system while Canada has a very structured and established system. Since there is no healthcare system in the world that is considered perfect all countries implement polices that they believe will be the most beneficial for their residents, The United States’ and Canada’s systems are both constantly being reformed to fit the current needs their residents however there are strengths and weaknesses for both of the systems.

     In the past, Canada’s government-funded, universally accessible, health care system has been praised and admired both at home and abroad as one of the finest in the world. A great source of pride and comfort for many Canadians is that it is based on five fundamental principles. Principles that are a reflection of the values held by Canadian citizens since the formation of Medicare in 1966. These principles were reinforced in the Canada Health Act, (CHA), of 1984 and state that the Canadian system is universal, accessible, portable, comprehensive and non-profit.

The Canadian government must implement an equitable national pharmacare program in which medically necessary prescription drugs are covered

Canada’s system is another great example of the affordability of UHC. According to the World Health Organization, check-ups, medications and surgeries are thirty to sixty percent cheaper in Canada than in the U.S. (Merino 132). Why? Well, Diane Francis, author of the National Post article “LBJ Invented Canada’s Superior Health System”, offers one explanation. Francis argues that in Canada drugs are cheaper because Canadian provinces buy the drugs in bulk through a centralized system, unlike the U.S., which makes the government programs Medicare and Medicaid buy from different sources (Merino 132). Because of the monopoly the Canadian government has on the pharmaceutical industry, the price of drugs can be manipulated by the government, making

Canadians embrace our universal healthcare system as a core national value; we are proud to say that we live in a country that ensures access to healthcare for all (Stanbrook, 2015). Sadly, there is a gaping hole in our supposedly universal system which is the lack of public coverage for prescription drugs for most Canadians.  Many Canadians face drug costs they can not afford, forcing them to either take their medicines less often than prescribed or do without them entirely.  By creating a universal single payer system of public insurance coverage for prescription drugs, a universal drug coverage plan like our current healthcare system, it would ensure affordability and comprehensiveness.  This intervention uses Geoffrey Rose’s population

Patients that are unable to follow prescriptions as ordered, related to lack of coverage, escalate stress on the health care system; increasing physician and emergency department visits, which may have been avoidable if the medications were covered for all Canadians (Lexchin, 2017). There are various socio-political barriers to implementing a universal drug coverage plan in Canada. Primarily, the federal government’s Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB), controls prescription and non-prescription prices by making comparisons of across seven selected Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries (Tang, Ghali, & Manns, 2014). However, these OECD comparative countries have higher medication prices. In fact, four of the seven OECD countries have the most expensive prices worldwide; consequently increasing Canadian prescription pricing. According to Morgan and Boothe (2016), another barrier to universal drug coverage in Canada stems from “pharmacare’s initially low place on the policy agenda” (p. 249). Healthy public policy development requires synergy between the public, policy makers, and institutions alike. If universal drug coverage has “less attention than other health policy debates” a political change is less likely to occur (p. 251).

One important issue that plagues the Canadian health system is the affordability of prescription drugs, which arises from the medication not being covered under Canada’s current universal health care system (Parliament of Canada). The prescription drugs are either paid out of pocket, or covered a certain percentage depending on their private insurance or benefits given by their profession. For those who cannot afford the medication it causes a dilemma, choosing to take on a financial burden for the sake of their own treatment and without taking the needed treatment the disease may get worse. Since it is out-of-the-pocket the wealthy can obtain the medication, while the poor are handcuffed to do so, therefore making this a financial and an equity

Canada’s health care system “can be described as a publicly-funded, privately-provided, universal, comprehensive, affordable, single-payer, provincially administered national health care system” (Bernard, 1992, p.103). Health care in Canada is provincial responsibility, with the Canada Health act being a federal legislation (Bernard, 1992, p. 102). Federal budget cuts, has caused various problems within Medicare such as increased waiting times and lack of new technology. Another problem with Medicare is that The Canada Heath Act does not cover expenditures for prescriptions drugs. All these issue has caused individuals to suggest making Medicare privatized. Although, Canada’s health care system consists of shortcomings, our universal

In this essay, federal drug policy, and its correlation with the shortage of drugs in Canada, will be considered. In particular, the disruption of drug supply will be discussed, with a specific focus on drug supply within the province of Ontario. A discussion will ensue surrounding drug pricing and policy, and the ways in which these frameworks can ultimately serve to affect the efficacy of medical treatment and the safety of patients. In addition, the paper will focus on the accountability of multiple stakeholders, at both the federal and provincial levels, in terms of supplying medically necessary drugs to Canadians. This analysis will encompass the dominant role played by pharmaceutical actors in Canada. Finally, conclusion will be drawn which take account of existing federal and provincial programs that aim to address drug shortages and the recommendations on comprehensive and appropriate drug funding.

In the first Hall Royal Commission, Pharmacare is outlined as recommend in joining the covered benefits for Canadian citizens - Canadians pays slightly less than their U.S. counterparts for Pharmaceuticals (Armstrong, p51). Privatization influences an unequal system - creating significant hindrances for impoverished people in Canada, again creating a rich-poor divide that does not influence equality, which is the essence of the Canadian Health Act. As pointed out in The Canadian Regime, “In European Countries, drugs are covered by public insurance schemes. Why not do the same in Canada?” (Malcolmson, p226). Further, Malcolmson describes the possibility for the government to generate a type of bulk buying scheme - where we as a country can

Canada's publicly-funded universal health care system is a direct representation of Canada's fundamental values of equality ("What are Canadian Values?", 2017). However, of all high-income countries that have implemented a universal health care program (Lopert, 2017), Canada is the only country that has yet to include prescription drugs within their universal health coverage plan (Martin, 2017, p. 90). Provinces are now demanding a public insurance plan for prescription medications, but pharmaceutical innovations are at risk if Canadian negotiators are not able to reach a consensus with U.S. demands during the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (Lopert, 2017). In order for Canada to achieve a universal

There have been many historical obstacles that have occurred in the Canadian health sector over the past decades. There were obstacles when implementing the universal healthcare coverage in Canada, and there is a long standing obstacle that is present for implementing a nation wide coverage of prescription drugs. In Canada, the health sector has one of the largest expenditures and this is constricting further expansion of national coverage since it involves many different parties. There are many factors that can be faced after going through this challenge such as improving access to care while reducing the overall spending in pharmaceuticals in Canada (Morgan and Boothe, 2016). Each province is currently adding their own plan to pharmaceutical coverage and starting from 2018 Ontario will pursue coverage for individuals under 25 years’ age. This is a step forward, and might influence other provinces to do the same. However, since it is not a national plan that means that not all provinces need to implement this at the same thing. These small fragments in the addition of plans and program are what cause inequality and is one of the main results of the challenge of not implementing a national