WHERE DOES YOUR PROVINCE STAND ON DRUG POLICIES FOR SENIORS?

Across Canada, seniors are faced with travelling without an adequate supply of medication. The Canadian Snowbird Association believes that all provinces and territories should allow a supply of medication equal to the number of days' travel that residents are allowed to take, while still maintaining their health-care benefits.

From B.C. Pharmacare, which will not cover a vacation supply of medication, to the Ontario Drug Benefit allowing a 200-day supply of drugs, the policies and practices are as varied as the provinces/territories themselves.

There is no consistency in the way each province formulates its policies. Some provinces have user fees per prescription, others have an annual deductible amount, while still others have co-payments and dispensing fees. Others exempt some seniors from any payments based on their annual income. Provinces and territories all have different prescription drugs that they will or will not cover. The CSA is in favour of a national drug policy that is fair and comprehensible to all.

Below, you'll find a chart outlining a summary of provincial drug plans ­ and their policies for taking drugs out of province for extended periods of time. For complete information, please call the phone numbers listed.

Province

Special Features

Out-of-Province Drug Policy

Contact Numbers

British Columbia Pharmacare

No deductible.
Seniors pay a pharmacy dispensing fee of up to $200 annually. Once this deductible has been met, Pharmacare picks up everything including dispensing fees. This applies to Pharmacare benefits only.

Depends on the individual drug - some are limited to a 30-day supply, others are 100 days. Pharmacare will not cover a vacation supply of medication, therefore the patient may have to pay the difference between a 30 and a 100-day supply.

Customer Service:
1-800-554-0250

within greater Victoria
(250) 952-2866

within Vancouver lower mainland
(604) 682-6849

Alberta Alberta Blue Cross for Seniors

No deductible.

Co-payment of 30 per cent to a maximum of $25 per prescription based on Lowest Cost Alternative (LCA) pricing.

Seniors leaving the country may receive up to a six-months' supply of medication. The pharmacy filling the prescription(s) must contact Alberta Blue Cross for an approval and an authorization number at the time of processing.

Customer Service
1-800-361-9632

within Edmonton
(780) 498-8000

Saskatchewan
Prescription Drug Program

$850 deductible semi-annually; $100 semi-annually for Guaranteed Income Supplement (G.I.S.) recipients in nursing homes; $200 semi-annually for other G.I.S. recipients.

Special support available if annual drug costs exceed 3.4 per cent of income.

The Saskatchewan Prescription Drug Plan places no limitation on the quantities of drugs that may be prescribed. Prescribers shall exercise their professional judgement in determining the course and duration of treatment for their patients. However, in most cases, the Drug Plan will not pay benefits or credit deductibles for more than a 90-day supply of a drug at one time. If an individual requires a supply of more than the three-month limit, they may purchase the additional medications and submit their original receipts to the Drug Plan. The Drug Plan will process the receipts at the appropriate time, credit the proper deductible and refund any overpayments.

Consumer Toll-free
1-800-667-7581

Manitoba
Pharmacare

Deductible based on income ­ Manitoba Health takes the combined family income, then a $3,000 credit is taken off for one spouse and each child under age 18. The amount left is called the Adjusted Family Income, and if this amount is $15,000 or less, the deductible is two per cent. If the income is more than $15,000, the deductible is three per cent. All eligible drug expenses are paid for by Manitoba Health once the deductible has been met ­ until the end of the benefit year.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this regulation, in any 90-day period, no benefit is payable for more than 100 days' supply of a specified drug.

Customer Service (204) 786-7311

Yukon Territory

The drug plan for seniors covers all prescription drugs (lowest cost generic whenever possible) at no cost to them.

The maximum number of days' prescription that can be accessed by travellers is 90. They can be reimbursed upon their return for an additional three months, providing they are not travelling for more than six months.

Customer Service (867) 667-5403