A Social Insurance Model for Pharmacare: Ontario's Options for a More Sustainable, Cost-Effective Drug Program

Colin Busby and William Robson
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Colin Busby: C.D. Howe Institute

C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, 2011, issue 326

Abstract: With annual spending of about $4.5 billion dollars in 2010, Canada’s largest drug plan – the Ontario Drug Program (ODB) – will become harder to afford as the babyboomers age and workforce growth slows. A business-as-usual approach to funding the plan, which provides publicly funded drug benefits to every Ontario resident aged 65 an older, presents a bleak prospect and amounts to wilfully passing on an exorbitant bill to future generations. Ontario, like all jurisdictions, faces tough challenges at the intersection of fiscal and health policy. Partial prefunding and benefit-payment reform of the ODB would put a key health program on a stronger and more sustainable footing.

Keywords: The Health Papers; Ontario Drug Program (ODB); Province of Ontario (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H75 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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