Pharmacare Advocacy Timeline

1. Continue to allow private drug plans to be primary payer for medications not funded by Medicare.
2. Publicly funded drug coverage safety net for all Canadians via a standard minimum formulary of essential medicines.
3. Consistent catastrophic drug program across the country, based on a core drug formulary and standard out-of-pocket costs.
4. Modernized approach to the Canada Health Act so that government-funded programs reimburse high-cost drugs for all Canadians regardless of the type of patient coverage.
5. Ensure ‘one price’ for drugs regardless of jurisdiction or payer type.

The member advisory firms we work with have helped employer benefit plan sponsors to set up, fund and manage a comprehensive benefits plan for their employees, at considerable cost. Nearly 4 out of 5 adult Canadians have access to pharmaceutical coverage through public or private plans, a large portion of which is insured coverage through employee benefits plans. Our member advisory firms and the employer benefit plan sponsors they work with, are key stakeholders in this important discussion to help provide for sustainable, universal access to affordable drug coverage for all Canadians.

Employers are altering the way they cover their employees as high-cost drugs are being allocated to private drug plans. Costs vary between private plan sponsors and patients based on province, resulting in an overall increase in drug expenditures. This lack of harmonization means that some life-saving or life-altering therapies may be available and covered in one Canadian jurisdiction, but unavailable in another. This inequitable treatment of Canadians is contrary to the concept of universal access to treatment.