A version of this podcast appeared in the Huffington Post
Employers in Canada spend an estimated 5 billion dollars a year on drug coverage for their employees. Yet, private plans are notoriously inefficient and they often cover higher priced drugs that are not necessarily better for consumers’ health, explains Alan Cassels.
No wonder calls for a national pharmacare program are growing. Such a system would be more efficient, restrict the coverage of drugs that are not of good value and it would drive the price of drugs down, adds Alan Cassels.
Alan Cassels is a Drug Policy Researcher affiliated with the Faculty of Human and Social Development at the University of Victoria.
Interview by Mélanie Meloche-Holubowski, journalist intern at EvidenceNetwork.ca, and journalist with Radio-Canada.
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