Catastrophic Drug Coverage in Canada
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25071/1929-8404.37158Keywords:
catastrophic drug coverage, prescription drugs, Romanow Commission, First Ministers’ Accord, First Ministers’ MeetingAbstract
There is currently no nationwide catastrophic drug coverage in Canada, and this creates many inequities with regards to the costs and accessibility of out-of-hospital (outpatient) prescription drugs. This paper examines why catastrophic drug coverage needs to be addressed as well as implemented in order to improve the inequities in provincial drug plans and the continued non-coverage of outpatient prescription drugs. This paper used the recommendation of the 2002 Romanow Commission as a point of reference for the need to implement catastrophic drug coverage in Canada. Moreover, the 2003 First Ministers’ Accord and 2004 First Ministers’ Meeting are used to reveal the government’s initiative to develop a Canadian catastrophic drug coverage policy that remains unaddressed and unimplemented to this day.
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