From the Fredericton (NB) Telegraph Journal:
David Lyon is painfully aware of one of the cruelest facts of life in New Brunswick - you do not want to be seriously ill in this place.
It's a wry twist on New Brunswick's much-ballyhooed tourism slogan, "Be ... in this place."
Lyon is dying of incurable brain cancer and like many other seriously ill people in New Brunswick, he feels trapped in a province bewilderingly out of step with the rest of the country.
Just out of reach in other parts of Canada are life-lengthening drugs people can afford and compassionate services designed to ease the economic and emotional burden of catastrophic illness.
But not here. In this place, the road to better health, to the sweet promise of longer life, is paved with catch-22s. ...more
Showing posts with label catastrophic drug coverage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label catastrophic drug coverage. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Most Alberta seniors to pay less under new drug plan
From CBC News:
About 60 per cent of Alberta's seniors will see their prescription drug costs lowered or eliminated starting in January 2010, but others will pay more, Alberta Health announced Monday.
Single seniors with an annual income of less than $21,325 and senior families with an annual combined income below $42,650 will not have to pay for medication.
But other seniors who have high incomes will pay more for drug coverage.
Deductibles will be based on a sliding scale and the highest earners could pay up to $7,500 a year if they have high medication costs.
Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert said the change will make the system fairer to everyone.
"We have a philosophy in government that we need to — and it's our responsibility to — ensure that those who can't afford it or don't have it, that there are programs in place by government," he said. ...more
About 60 per cent of Alberta's seniors will see their prescription drug costs lowered or eliminated starting in January 2010, but others will pay more, Alberta Health announced Monday.
Single seniors with an annual income of less than $21,325 and senior families with an annual combined income below $42,650 will not have to pay for medication.
But other seniors who have high incomes will pay more for drug coverage.
Deductibles will be based on a sliding scale and the highest earners could pay up to $7,500 a year if they have high medication costs.
Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert said the change will make the system fairer to everyone.
"We have a philosophy in government that we need to — and it's our responsibility to — ensure that those who can't afford it or don't have it, that there are programs in place by government," he said. ...more
Alberta will fund drugs to treat rare diseases
From the Globe and Mail:
As Ontario was defending its refusal to fund a costly drug for an ailing man, Alberta ushered in a new strategy that will ensure those with rare, genetic diseases are provided medicine - even for drugs that cost $1-million a year.
Alberta's move yesterday is believed to be the first in Canada for rare diseases and will provide coverage starting in April.
Eligible patients will be required to pay premiums and make co-payments for the drugs, which typically total $250,000 to $1-million annually for each patient and are often the only medicine approved for their condition.
"Currently, today, we don't have a policy in place, and quite frankly, it becomes a pick and choose by the Minister, and the Minister isn't going to choose for somebody to die," Alberta's Minister of Health and Wellness, Ron Liepert, said in a telephone interview yesterday. "This way, it's part of our drug policy." ...more
As Ontario was defending its refusal to fund a costly drug for an ailing man, Alberta ushered in a new strategy that will ensure those with rare, genetic diseases are provided medicine - even for drugs that cost $1-million a year.
Alberta's move yesterday is believed to be the first in Canada for rare diseases and will provide coverage starting in April.
Eligible patients will be required to pay premiums and make co-payments for the drugs, which typically total $250,000 to $1-million annually for each patient and are often the only medicine approved for their condition.
"Currently, today, we don't have a policy in place, and quite frankly, it becomes a pick and choose by the Minister, and the Minister isn't going to choose for somebody to die," Alberta's Minister of Health and Wellness, Ron Liepert, said in a telephone interview yesterday. "This way, it's part of our drug policy." ...more
Sympathy, but no help for a rare disorder
From the Globe and Mail:
Once a husky machinist, Greg Troy is a diminished figure who fights for every breath. He navigates his home in Waterloo, Ont., by grasping pieces of furniture. He can sleep only when attached to a ventilator.
The 62-year-old inherited a rare metabolic disease called Pompe that causes excessive amounts of glycogen to accumulate in the body, disabling skeletal muscles and damaging the heart.
Although there is a drug to treat the often fatal illness - costing up to $600,000 a year - access to it in Canada is unequal. Ontario has a policy to provide it only to babies, where it has been shown to improve survival significantly. Quebec is paying for one infant to receive it, while Alberta funds three patients of various ages under a special grant.
Mr. Troy was refused the enzyme-replacement drug, called Myozyme. In rejecting his request, the Ontario Ministry of Health said in a Sept. 12 letter that there is a lack of evidence concerning the efficacy of the drug in adults - but that it extended its "full sympathy" to Mr. Troy. ...more
Once a husky machinist, Greg Troy is a diminished figure who fights for every breath. He navigates his home in Waterloo, Ont., by grasping pieces of furniture. He can sleep only when attached to a ventilator.
The 62-year-old inherited a rare metabolic disease called Pompe that causes excessive amounts of glycogen to accumulate in the body, disabling skeletal muscles and damaging the heart.
Although there is a drug to treat the often fatal illness - costing up to $600,000 a year - access to it in Canada is unequal. Ontario has a policy to provide it only to babies, where it has been shown to improve survival significantly. Quebec is paying for one infant to receive it, while Alberta funds three patients of various ages under a special grant.
Mr. Troy was refused the enzyme-replacement drug, called Myozyme. In rejecting his request, the Ontario Ministry of Health said in a Sept. 12 letter that there is a lack of evidence concerning the efficacy of the drug in adults - but that it extended its "full sympathy" to Mr. Troy. ...more
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