Ohip pharmacare

The program aims at increasing access to medical prescriptions by citizens in all the provinces and territories. The policy came into being because the Medicare program did not cover for drug prescription; hence the health experts saw it fit to introduce a program that covers the prescription needs of the patients. Notably, the program is only accessible by Canadian aged 25 years and below who are registered by OHIP, but they are not beneficiaries of any private health program. In spite of the tremendous results achieved by the program in the country, there are major challenges that faced its implementation. The challenges encountered represent policy issues in the Pharmacare medical coverage program, for instance, the program is only accessible by the youth and children below the age of 25 years.

The federal government also has in the recent past received many recommendations to expand the ‘Canada Health Act’ to cover for drugs. Even though the OHIP drug policy got implemented, it only covered a limited number of people in the country contrary to the expectations. The reasons it came into being Statistics indicate that close to a million people in Canada had to choose to purchase drugs over food. Some of them had to work extra shifts in their work centres to get enough funds for medical prescriptions. The situation prompted some provinces to start drug plans at provincial levels; the generic drug industry also agreed to cut the drug prices for all the people benefiting from the provincial drug plans.

Stakeholders influencing policy construction, change, or implementation The primary stakeholders in the OHIP Pharmacare policy include the Ontario government, medical companies, the beneficiaries of the program and the medical experts. Each of the stakeholders had a considerable impact on the policy constriction and implementations; even the subsequent changes that got incorporated into the policy as the issues raised. 3 The provincial government expressed interest to reduce the burden of drug prescriptions for its people and set in place the necessary legislation to guide the implementation. Besides, it provided funds that facilitated the implementation and administration process. The medical experts and researcher provided expert opinions on how to best to administer it, who should get covered, the drugs to include in the coverage and other determinants of eligibility.

The public plans cover varied groups of people; for instance, the OHIP only covers those below the age of 25 years while the rest of the population are left to seek other medical drug covers. The public drug coverage plan in the country has a list of drugs the government pays for the patients under the program. The ‘Canadian agency for drugs and technologies' conducted a drug review to determine the types of drugs that need to get on the list and which ones should be excluded to improve clinical effectiveness and promote cost-effectiveness in the health care sector. Notably, the number of drugs covered approximately ranges from 4,000 to 8,000. 6 the government pays the largest portion of the funds used to cover the drugs prescription; for instance, the Canadian government spends about 34 billion dollars on drugs prescriptions annually.

Conclusion In conclusion, the implementation OHIP Pharmacare program was a significant milestone for the country in the health sector. Canada had lagged when it comes to drug prescription coverage when countries like Australia, the United States, and the Netherlands had moved forward with the program. The existing Medicare insurance coverage was limited, and any effort to include drugs prescription was defeated by fiscal policies and change in policy priorities. The restrictive nature of the program has been the major issue of concern since its inception. The policy only covers those under the age of 25 years leaving out many people who are also struggling with the drugs bills. https://www. cna-aiic. ca/en/policy-advocacy/cna-on-the-hill/policy-issues. 3 Cardy, Jaime. "OHIP+: Adding to the Myriad of Public Drug Programs or a Meaningful Step toward Canadian Pharmacare?.