(April 25, 2017)<\/p>\n
By: Lynne Brown<\/p>\n
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath announced Saturday at the NDP\u2019s 2017 Convention that an NDP provincial government would create Ontario\u2019s first universal Pharmacare plan. The convention took place at the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto from April 21st to 23rd.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have to empty your wallet to get the medicine you need,\u201d said Horwath. \u201cNo family should have to rack up credit card debt to treat an illness. And no one should ever go without the treatment they need because of cost.\u201d Horwath further stated that an NDP government would make a commitment to ensure all Ontarians can afford the medicine they\u2019re prescribed.<\/p>\n
One in four Ontarians doesn\u2019t take their medication as prescribed because of cost, and 2.2 million Ontarians have no prescription drug coverage at all. With a growing number of people working non-traditional or unstable jobs, or finding it more difficult to land a job that comes with some benefits, the cost of medications is a growing struggle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many in Ontario who split their pills in half to make the bottle last longer,\u201d said Horwath. \u201cOr they leave the doctor\u2019s office with a prescription they need, knowing they\u2019ll never fill it because of the price.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine if everyone could take their medication without the barrier of cost. We can help people live healthier, less stressful lives. We can make their month a little more affordable. And by preventing emergency room trips, we can improve people\u2019s lives, and also relieve the strain on our overcrowded hospitals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Horwath, revealed details of the pharmacare plan Monday, April 24th, 2017 at Queen\u2019s Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy plan is affordable, and when we think of the risk to people\u2019s health from skipping their medication \u2013 even the risk to their lives \u2013 it\u2019s clear that we can\u2019t afford not to implement universal prescription Pharmacare,\u201d said Horwath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis plan will mean lower cost, less worry and better health for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as public health care, or \u201cmedicare\u201d, covers hospitals and doctors, public pharmacare would be a public insurance program covering medicines. It would improve the current patchwork of private insurance plans, the Ontario Drug Benefits program and the Trillium Drug Plan.\u201d said Horwath.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one should have to rack up credit card bills to get the medicine they need,\u201d said Horwath. \u201cNo one should end up in an already-overcrowded hospital because they couldn\u2019t afford to take the medicine they were prescribed. That\u2019s why I\u2019m committed to creating Ontario\u2019s first universal Pharmacare program.\u201d<\/p>\n
When launched, the program will include the most common and essential prescription medicines \u2013 such as common medication for high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes. That list, set by independent experts and based on data, will include about 125 drugs on the program\u2019s launch, and grow over time. Ontario currently has six public drug programs and the NDP\u2019s vision of pharmacare would complement existing coverage. Pharmacare would come with no deductible, but will incorporate a co-pay tied to income, at a maximum of $6.11.<\/p>\n
The government would be able to secure \u201csignificant\u201d savings when bargaining with drug companies on behalf of 14 million Ontarians, Horwath said.<\/p>\n
Private payers such as employers would save between $835 million and $1.9 billion as they would no longer have to cover those 125 medicines, the NDP said.<\/p>\n
Horwath was joined by Dr. Steve Morgan, one of Canada\u2019s leading researchers on Pharmacare. \u201cA program of this kind is a practical way of significantly improving access to medicines while dramatically lowering overall drug costs,\u201d said Morgan. \u201cUniversal public coverage of essential medicines is a significant and feasible step in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe very real issue here is patient health and well-being,\u201d said Dr. Steve Morgan, health policy professor at the University of British Columbia\u2019s School of Population and Public Health. \u201cWhen you face a barrier to filling prescriptions that help maintain good health, you end up with worse health status and you end up in hospital and it makes us all pay in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n
A study published earlier this year (Feb) in The Journals \u2013 CMAJ Open and BMJ Open \u2013 found that older Canadians unable to afford drug costs tended to have fair or poor health and not have health insurance. The study was based on data from the 2014 international health policy survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation based in the U.S. that promotes health-care system improvements.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a serious issue because skipping medication is likely to lead to more serious health problems down the road for the individual, and to higher health costs to the system.\u201d stated Dr. Morgan, the senior study author titled \u2013 \u2018Cost-related non-adherence to prescribed medicines among older adults: a cross-sectional analysis of a survey in 11 developed countries.\u2019 (http:\/\/bmjopen.bmj.com)<\/p>\n
Existing programs for seniors\u2019 drugs and high-cost drugs will remain, while the cost of a prescription under Pharmacare will be no more than the copayment through the Ontario Drug Benefit.<\/p>\n
The program is expected to help millions save money and have better access to preventative care and treatment. It is estimated that, one in four Ontarians do not take their medication as prescribed because of cost, and 2.2 million Ontarians have no prescription drug coverage at all.<\/p>\n
With a growing number of workers in unstable and non-traditional jobs in Ontario, the number of people not covered is expected to grow. The Ontario program would be fully implemented by 2020, the NDP said, but eventually expanded to include more medications, and ideally other provinces would get on board.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to prescription drugs is a central part of maintaining health and fighting disease,\u201d said Dr. Danyaal Raza, a family physician in Toronto and assistant professor at the University of Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe health of too many Ontarians has suffered when they\u2019ve been forced to choose between paying for these medications, instead of housing or food. We\u2019re long overdue to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I think of the number of Ontarians who walk out of their doctor\u2019s office knowing that they can\u2019t afford to go to the pharmacy and fill the prescription \u2013 I know it\u2019s time to do something about it,\u201d said Horwath.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can help people live healthier, less stressful lives. We can make their month a little more affordable. And by preventing emergency room trips, we can also relieve the strain on our overcrowded hospitals. This plan is realistic and affordable \u2013 and when I think of the millions of Ontarians who don\u2019t take their medicine because of the cost, I think we can\u2019t afford not to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NDP and Pharmacare experts estimate the cost to be under $475 million \u2013 less than 0.35 per cent of the province\u2019s total annual budget.<\/p>\n
In a media release, Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) stated, \u2018The Ontario NDP plan is a welcome first step towards the ultimate goal of a comprehensive national public pharmacare program for all Canadians. The Ontario Health Coalition strongly supports that the ONDP\u2019s plan is universal, meaning that all Ontarians would be covered. The ONDP proposal would cover a list of 125 \u201cessential\u201d medications by 2020.\u2019<\/p>\n
The OHC policy vision is one which advocates for a comprehensive program \u2013 covering all needed drugs and leaving no one in medical need uncovered.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost 1 in 10 Ontarians do not fill their prescriptions because of cost. Ontarians with cancer, HIV, Crohn\u2019s disease, arthritis and a host of other illnesses face high costs for drugs and inadequate coverage,\u201d noted Natalie Mehra, OHC\u2019s Executive Director. \u201cThe NDP\u2019s promotion of a public drug program will help to highlight the hardship and suffering that are a result of the gaps in private and government drug coverage programs today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope that the ONDP\u2019s announcement will be a first step in expanding the principles of the Canada Health Act to provide comprehensive public insurance for needed medicines for all Canadians,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Any pharmacare program must deal with drug pricing and safety. Evidence from the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows that Canadians pay the second highest prices in the world for drugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look forward to hearing some more details on this proposal,\u201d added Adrienne Silnicki, national coordinator of the Canadian Health Coalition. \u201cDrug safety is a priority issue for us, as are user fees including co-payments and deductibles for patients. We welcome the Ontario NDP\u2019s announcement as a means of furthering the national discussion on a comprehensive public drug program for all.\u201d<\/p>\n