CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
The most recent articles from:
CMAJ
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Comparative Study
Comparison of provincial prescription drug plans and the impact on patients' annual drug expenditures.
Reimbursement for outpatient prescription drugs is not mandated by the Canada Health Act or any other federal legislation. Provincial governments independently establish reimbursement plans. We sought to describe variations in publicly funded provincial drug plans across Canada and to examine the impact of this variation on patients' annual expenditures. ⋯ Considerable interprovincial variation in publicly funded prescription drug plans results in substantial variation in annual expenditures by Canadians with identical prescription burdens. A revised pharmaceutical strategy might reduce these major inequities.