By Kathleen O'Grady drug costs, drugs, generic drugs, Health care reform, Healthcare spending, pharmacare program, prescription drug, prescription drug costs, private insurance
As Canadians, we are proud of our universal healthcare system, which provides publicly-funded essential doctor and hospital care based on need and not ability to pay. Unfortunately, our health system falls short when it comes to prescription medication.
Is waiting longer for new prescription drug approvals necessarily a bad thing?
By Alan Cassels Canada Health Act, cost of drugs, Drug coverage, drug plan, national drug, national pharmacare, pharmaceutical policies in Canada, prescription drug, Private health benefits, Private health care
The newest report from Canada’s brand name drug makers on access to new drugs has one key message: compared to other countries, Canada goes slow and low. New drugs are slower to be covered by our provincial drug plans and the numbers of people who get access to new drugs are lower than in other countries.
Why we should think twice before we institutionalize national pharmacare
By Alan Cassels Canada Health Act, cost of drugs, Drug coverage, drug plan, national drug, national pharmacare, pharmaceutical policies in Canada, prescription drug, Private health benefits, Private health care
Amalgamation always seems like a good idea. Greater Victoria has 13 municipalities, 13 councils, oodles of separate fire and police departments and multiple separate teams of garbage-persons, road fixers, parks maintainers and others that you need to keep our cities humming.
By appropriate treatment, Canada Health Act, mental disabilities, Mental health, mental health strategy, mental illness, mental illness help, pharmaceutical policies in Canada, Podcasts, prescription drug, Private health benefits, Private health care, psychiatric hospitalization, Psychiatrist
In Canada, only one in five people with depression gets appropriate treatment. And in Ontario, only one in three patients discharged from psychiatric hospitalization will get a follow-up within the month. Why is Canada doing so poorly in helping people with mental illness?
By Canada Health Act, cost of drugs, Drug coverage, drug plan, employee drug benefits, Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical policies in Canada, Podcasts, prescription drug, Private health benefits, Private health care
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.
By Joel Lexchin and Barbara Mintzes advertsising, Canadian health care, Canadian healthcare system, drugs, Health Canada, health promotion, Lipitor ad, pharmaceutical ads, Pharmaceutical advertising, Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical policies in Canada, Pharmaceutical policy, prescription drug, promoting drugs, Viagra ad
A handsome man struts over to the office water cooler with a smirk on his face. When his colleagues ask about his weekend, he replies enthusiastically, with audio muted. A large blue pill appears with the tagline, “Viagra, Ask Your Doctor.” Vibrant, energetic older people are shown swimming, bowling and having a good time. With a twinkle in their eye, they suggest the viewer “ask your doctor” about Celebrex.
By Steve Morgan access to health care, Canadian health care, Canadian healthcare system, drugs, Health care costs, Health care reform, Health costs, health insurance, Healthcare spending, insurance premiums, New-Brunswick, prescription drug, prescription drug insurance, public-private
The Liberal government of New Brunswick appears to be stepping back from the brink of mandatory prescription drug insurance. And so they should.
By Steve Morgan aging population, British-Colombia, drug cost, drug plan, ontario, Pharmaceutical policy, prescription drug, prescription drugs, seniors, subsidy, tax, universal pharmacare
Ontario spends $11-billion per year on prescription drugs. Nearly half of this is spent on medicines used by senior citizens, a group that receives public subsidies for nearly all of their prescription drug costs in Ontario.