The time to act is now: that was the collective feeling at the 2015 Face-to-Face Drug Plan Management conference on Dec. 2 in Toronto. As plan sponsors grapple with an influx of costly new drugs, employee non-compliance issues and a lack of case management, panellists at the conference brainstormed for the best ways to help […]
Panellists at Benefits Canada’s Face-to-Face Drug Plan Management conference earlier this week called for rational, effective cost-cutting measures to ensure benefits plan sustainability. There was a distinct sense of urgency in the packed conference room in Toronto. “Is the pain big enough that we’re going to see some meaningful [plan] design change?” asked one attendee. […]
For every dollar invested in pharmacist services, many more will be saved because plan members with chronic conditions will be healthier—and may even be able to drop medications they no longer need. Such was the case put forward by presenters at the 2015 Pharmacy Solutions in Drug Plan Management conference in October in Toronto. While […]
Pharmacists Mike Boivin, John Papastergiou and Hitesh Pandya kicked things off with a ground-level view of what happens at the dispensary counter with plan members. In one case, a patient had been using samples for an antidepressant from his physician. When he learned his plan did not cover the drug, he paid for the medication […]
On-site wellness clinics can be an effective entry point for pharmacy services. Based on its data from such programs in the workplace, MHCSI Managed Health Care Services Inc. has found that about a third of plan members are at risk of chronic disease and a third are at very high risk, noted Leanne MacFarlane, MHCSI’s […]
Pharmacist Mike Cavanagh presented on behalf of the Pharmacy Health Insurance Steering Coalition (PHISC), a joint initiative by the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, the Neighbourhood Pharmacies Association of Canada and the Canadian Pharmacists Association. PHISC is putting the finishing touches on a package that explains the pharmacy services that could be covered by […]
Expensive biologics are driving up drug claims costs…but how can employers choose between saving a life and saving the drug plan for everyone?
Now that the marketplace has moved past the golden era of drug plan management, where one could do nothing and see cost trends level off (or decline), it comes as no surprise that fear is setting in as the reality of cost increases set in.
Earlier this week, Manulife announced it’s changing the way it will evaluate new drugs coming to the market to help plan sponsors contain rising drug costs. This means plan members who have been prescribed certain new drugs will see their drug claims denied until Manulife evaluates the drugs and decides whether to provide reimbursement.
NDP leader Tom Mulcair went to a Liberal-held riding today to announce he plans to work with the provinces to support universal prescription drug coverage—but the party is not classifying their promise as a national pharmacare plan.