Pharmacies throughout the province are now required to provide a more detailed invoice
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The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) has expressed its support for a new legal provision requiring more transparency from pharmacies issuing prescription drugs in Quebec.
Thanks to a newly enacted provision in the act governing commercial practices relating to prescription drugs throughout the province, pharmacies are now required to issue a more detailed invoice. The new invoice will itemize the price of the medication; the wholesaler’s margin; and the pharmacist’s fee, which varies between pharmacies.
“We are pleased that Quebecers are provided with greater transparency at the pharmacy with the new detailed invoice,” said CLHIA President Lyne Duhaime. “[Drug costs are] a significant expense and it became clear that plan members needed to be better informed so that they could make sound choices."
Drug costs have been a significant contributor to group insurance costs, which is a concern to employers in Canada and around the world. According to the CLHIA, Quebecers insured by the private sector incur more than $3 billion in drug purchase expenses yearly. Furthermore, pharmacists charged Quebecers covered under private group plans an average of 17% more than those covered by the public plan.
For employees and employers with group insurance plans, that fee gap has translated into half a billion dollars in additional yearly costs compared to coverage under the public plan. In Quebec, drug expenses soared 88% over 10 years for the private side of the plan.
According to the CLHIA, better awareness and decisions from Quebecers in purchasing prescription drugs will help improve the sustainability of their current supplementary health insurance plans.
The association has launched a public information campaign on this new development, which includes a web-based resource tool.
Related stories:
No need for Manitoba patients to pay specialty dispensing fees, says province
Manitoba caps pharmacy dispensing fees for public drug program
Thanks to a newly enacted provision in the act governing commercial practices relating to prescription drugs throughout the province, pharmacies are now required to issue a more detailed invoice. The new invoice will itemize the price of the medication; the wholesaler’s margin; and the pharmacist’s fee, which varies between pharmacies.
“We are pleased that Quebecers are provided with greater transparency at the pharmacy with the new detailed invoice,” said CLHIA President Lyne Duhaime. “[Drug costs are] a significant expense and it became clear that plan members needed to be better informed so that they could make sound choices."
Drug costs have been a significant contributor to group insurance costs, which is a concern to employers in Canada and around the world. According to the CLHIA, Quebecers insured by the private sector incur more than $3 billion in drug purchase expenses yearly. Furthermore, pharmacists charged Quebecers covered under private group plans an average of 17% more than those covered by the public plan.
For employees and employers with group insurance plans, that fee gap has translated into half a billion dollars in additional yearly costs compared to coverage under the public plan. In Quebec, drug expenses soared 88% over 10 years for the private side of the plan.
According to the CLHIA, better awareness and decisions from Quebecers in purchasing prescription drugs will help improve the sustainability of their current supplementary health insurance plans.
The association has launched a public information campaign on this new development, which includes a web-based resource tool.
Related stories:
No need for Manitoba patients to pay specialty dispensing fees, says province
Manitoba caps pharmacy dispensing fees for public drug program
