StatCan finds people with private drug coverage more likely to stick to prescriptions

A study confirms financial limitations are keeping people without private or employer-sponsored drug coverage from following through with their prescriptions. It’s true for both those who have no coverage at all and people who have some coverage through provincial or existing federal prescription programs. Findings include:

• Eighty-one percent of men had some form of coverage in 2019, compared to 79.5% in 2015-2016, while the number among women increased from 80.3% to 81.8%;
• The increase was mainly driven by the expansion of government-sponsored plans in provinces such as Alta., Ont. and P.E.I.;
• Seniors were most likely to have their prescriptions covered by the government; and
• Just over 7% of women and 5% of men on government-sponsored plans reported OOP cost kept them from filling their prescriptions or taking the full dose, compared to 4.4% of women and 3.4% of men with drug coverage under their employee plans.