The healthcare initiative agents teamed up with Canadian Senate Democrats made their case for procuring a set of governmental bills with the purpose of bringing down the cost of medical prescription pills. According to the critics, some law articles on the price of certain prescription pills will affect the state commission. And they want to regulate the insurance reimbursement for medical prescription meds. The critics also believe that the offered bills will affect the patient’s safety.
In addition, the critics of Canadian healthcare system are not satisfied with the offered bills allowing the bulk import of drugs from Canadian drugstores and the regulation of pharmacy benefits – middlemen will have to exclude particular meds from any insurance covering. The advocates insist that more transparency in the new Canadian prescription drug’s price policy must be added. However, there are positive moments – Maine residents will be able to import from Canadian drugstores.
Right now Canadian pharmacies sell only those drugs that are listed in the prescription, but in rare cases they can be incredibly intelligible. Also, patients should never hesitate to ask your doctor if he has any medication prescribed, as pharmaceutical companies often supply doctors with free samples of medications as an advertisement for their products.
The problem is really big because even the life-saving meds sold under a prescription (like EpiPen) will drastically increase in prices from $100 to $600 for a 2-pack supply of the injectors.
If you are prescribed a long course of treatment, buy drugs in large packages – it is more profitable. For example, a package of 120 aspirin tablets costs US $ 19.82, and a package of the same aspirin into 50 tablets is US $ 8.79. Do not forget to count the number of tablets and compare it with the marked on the package. Also note that for older people there are discounts when purchasing drugs at pharmacies. Remind this to both the doctor and the pharmacist.
How the new drug policy may change the life of regular Canadian people?
Just like with food products, different stores sell the same drugs with different prices. In specialized pharmacies like Drug Mart the average prices are highest, in stores such as Saveway or London Drugs prices are slightly lower. And the prices from the Super Store are even lower. However, the government of Canada may also negatively affect the supply of new prescription drugs in local hospitals and pharmacies.
Let’s take a closer look at a particular case. No one condemns Noella Panetton for accusing the Quebec government for playing the role of God. 3 years ago, when she learned that she had pancreatic cancer, Noella was denied a professional medical help with chemotherapy with the explanation that she was 74 years old, and there is no point in saving her life.
“I had to die,” said a resident of Verdun, whose cancer is currently in the stage of remission. She received a drug called Abraxane on the experimental program of the pharmaceutical company Celgene. “Instead, I became a walking miracle.” In 2012, shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer, the woman was prescribed the drug Gemzar (Gemcitabine) prescribed to all patients living in a certain province, but chemotherapy with this drug turned out to be ineffective.
Doctors recommended Noelle to try an experimental drug Abraxane that effectively treats blood cancer. This remedy is believed to offer a hopeful recovery for patients with pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly malignant neoplasms. However, the Government of Quebec refuses to buy it for patients older than 71 years.
Thanks to an experimental program proposed by a pharmaceutical company, Panneton began taking Abraxane in October 2012. Her condition immediately improved. Now doctors diagnose that the patient’s cancer is in the stage of remission. Now, after so much time, she returned to her hobbies: shopping, walking, and playing cards. But her bitter experience has shown that other Canadian patients may not receive the treatment that is so necessary for them, which may be their last hope.
Noelle says that the drug prices are rising, some high-tech treatment methods cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to a patient, and those who manage the budget must make difficult decisions about the drugs deserving public funding. Patients living in Quebec are particularly affected, since the government is committed to saving money by reducing the cost of healthcare in every possible way.
Despite the common misbelief, that Canadian healthcare is the most advantageous for patients, there are big issues like the prescription drug’s price policy and the supply of necessary medications to the population.