Canada overdue to adopt a pharmacare plan

My grandfather led a very healthy life. He exercised every day, followed a strict diet, and only ate chocolate ice cream once a year. At the age of 94, doctors were in awe of the fact that he did not take prescription drugs.

His story is certainly unique. For most of us, prescription drugs, are, or will become, essential for treating illness or physical ailments.

However, for many Canadians, prescriptions are difficult to come by. Stories of patients reusing needles and parents having to choose which child to buy medication for have become all too common in this country. Unnecessary struggles of this nature lead one to ponder why Canada does not have some form of a universal drug plan.

It seems that politicians in Ottawa have begun to question this as well. In recent months the Standing Committee on Health began discussing the possibility of developing some form of a National Pharmacare Program, and began to look at what such a program might entail. To understand the committee’s progress so far and the issue a little further, I spoke committee member and Oakville MP, John Oliver.

To start, Oliver discussed Canada’s unique situation.

“Canada is one of the few countries that has a comprehensive universal health care plan that doesn’t include pharmaceuticals outside of hospital care. In our current plan today you are (treated) in hospital care, but the minute you are discharged you have to pay for those drugs out of your pocket or through a private insurance plan.”

He went on to suggest that this presents a serious problem for many Canadians

“About 10 per cent of Canadians do not have any form of drug coverage and are unable to afford medications. So about 10 per cent of Canadians show up, have a prescription to fill and they cannot fill it because of unaffordability.”

Oliver was clear this problem was not just limited to those who didn’t have drug coverage.

“Many Canadians have insurance through their employment. But, those private coverage plans are becoming increasingly expensive as new drugs emerge … I’ve heard from inside the industry that there is a concern that private companies won’t be able to continue to afford a drug benefit plan for their employees.”

There are alternatives used around the world in response to such a harsh reality. Among them is the model used in New Zealand, on which the health committee recently heard testimony.

“I think in New Zealand there is a $5 fee that you pay regardless of the value of the drug.” Oliver said.

He went on to describe New Zealand’s model in more detail.

“We did hear that one of the potential downsides of a universal pharmacare plan for certain drugs was that there can be delays introducing the drug and making it available to the (distributors) because it’s going through an economic benefit evaluation.”

However, Oliver suggested that despite these occasional delays, New Zealanders appreciate the system.

Our country has so much to gain from implementing a national pharmaceutical plan. While our government still has a long way to go in developing such a broad plan, I am reminded by Oliver’s reply as to whether this was a good time to start this discussion:

“Absolutely, I think it’s past due.”