Article via https://www.ctvnews.ca on 29 May 2023
Overall health-care costs could be reduced in Canada by providing free prescription drugs to patients, according to a new study.
Over three years, the study found that mean total health-care spending was reduced by $4,465 per patient, or $1,488 per person per year.
“These findings suggest that eliminating out-of-pocket medication costs for patients could reduce overall costs of health care,” the study concluded.
“This randomized clinical trial of an intervention has clear policy implications, and it provides information about total health care costs using routinely collected administrative data.”
Canada is the only country in the world that has a universal health-care system without universal coverage for prescription drugs.