Canadians should demand commitments for pharmacare program, says CMAJ
2011-04-27
(Press-News.org) OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA — Canada needs a national pharmacare program and federal leaders must commit adequate funding, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/doi/10.1503/cmaj.110643.
Unlike many countries in Europe and Australia and New Zealand, Canada lacks a national pharmacare program that provides consistent coverage across all regions of the country. Currently, drugs that are covered in some provinces may not be in others.
"The inevitable consequence is that some people are prevented from getting the drugs they need, and others do not take all the medications as prescribed," writes Dr. Paul Hébert, Editor-in-Chief with coauthors.
As well, there is no national formulary or system to assess drugs which could save the country billions of dollars annually.
Drug costs are rising more rapidly in Canada, almost 10% per year, compared with other members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. "Although Canada spends more per capita on drugs than most other countries, including the United States, many of our scare health dollars are misdirected to "me-too" drugs supplied by pharmaceutical companies that supply private coverage," state the authors. "The money that goes to them is not available to support equitable, accessible high-quality care across the country."
"Canada's multiplicity of illogical and outdated programs, which pay for drugs administered to patients within health care institutions while often failing to pay for the same patients to receive the same drugs as outpatients or at home, make a mockery of the principles of medicare — universality, portability, accessibility, comprehensiveness and public administration — that Canadians cherish," write the authors. "We cannot pretend to have universal public health care or expect the benefits inherent in such a system while it excludes the medications necessary to prevent and treat illnesses."
The authors call upon federal politicians to make clear commitments to address this health care issue.
INFORMATION: Media contact: Kim Barnhardt, Senior Strategist, Communications and Partnerships, CMAJ, 613-520-7116 x2224, kim.barnhardt@cmaj.ca
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-04-27
Men and women had starkly different immune system responses to chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, with men showing no response and women showing a strong response, in two studies by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.
While a robust immune response protects the body from foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, an over-activated response causes inflammation, which can lead to such conditions as cardiovascular disease and arthritis.
In a study published in the March, 2011 issue of Brain, Behavior, ...
2011-04-27
While wind turbines primarily are a source of renewable energy, they also produce wakes of invisible ripples that can affect the atmosphere and influence wind turbines downstream -- an issue being researched in a newly launched study led by the University of Colorado Boulder's Julie Lundquist, assistant professor in the atmospheric and oceanic sciences department.
The study, called the Turbine Wake and Inflow Characterization Study, or TWICS, also includes researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable ...
2011-04-27
Brandeis researchers have made a significant advance in the effort to understand amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by successfully reversing the toxicity of the mutated protein in the familial type of the disease.
Currently there is no cure or prevention for the disease, which affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Most frequently referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, after its most famous victim, ALS typically causes death due to respiratory paralysis within three to five years of onset. The only approved drug, Riluzole, can extend the lifespan of some ...
2011-04-27
Exotic bacteria that do not rely on oxygen may have played an important role in determining the composition of Earth's early atmosphere, according to a theory that UChicago researcher Albert Colman is testing in the scalding hot springs of a volcanic crater in Siberia.
He has found that bacteria at the site produce as well as consume carbon monoxide, a surprising twist that scientists must take into account as they attempt to reconstruct the evolution of Earth's early atmosphere.
Colman, an assistant professor in geophysical sciences, joined an American-Russian team ...
2011-04-27
The Europe wide figures for new car sales across Europe fell by nearly 2 percent in the first quarter of the year. Whilst some countries experienced an increase a number of factors, including economic troubles in Portugal and Greece contributed to the overall reduction. Within the top five markets: Spain, Italy and Great Britain all experienced negative retail figures for new car sales.
Whilst this is gloomy news for much of the Motor Trade (particularly within the UK), there have been some brands that have bucked the trend. Alfa Romeo sales have increased 60 percent ...
2011-04-27
A low pressure area currently over northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin has created conditions that call for a forecast of severe weather in the eastern third of the U.S. today and one area is even labeled "high risk." The GOES-13 Satellite captured a visible image of the system today as daytime heating was boiling up strong and severe thunderstorms.
What's unusual about the system is that there are a handful of days where a "high risk" for severe weather is noted by NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). Today, April 26, 2011 is one of them. The high risk ...
2011-04-27
The Parking Authority of Suffern, New York is launching RingGo Pay by Cell Phone service beginning April 26, 2011. The new service is available for nine village lots including the daily parking spaces at the Suffern Train Station. As an added convenience, Suffern residents may now purchase monthly parking permits through RingGo.
This state-of-the-art system makes paying for parking far more convenient for Suffern's residents and visitors. Instead of having to make sure they have the right amount of cash or coins or walking and standing in the snow at the honor boxes, ...
2011-04-27
New York, NY, April 27, 2011—Ninety percent of American families living above the federal poverty level will be able to afford health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report by Jonathan Gruber and Ian Perry of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The report finds that new subsidies available through health insurance exchanges established under the law will make premiums affordable for most families. But the authors also warn that high out-of-pocket costs will likely mean some families will still be unable to afford ...
2011-04-27
A new true trader's journal, www.spread-betting.com has been revamped online and introduces a new clean design with a user-friendly interface aimed at educating investors.
Spread-Betting.com is the UK's new leading trade journal and tutor for investors who seek answers regarding financial spread betting. With information on oil, gas, silver, wheat or simply a question of a certain stock doubling in value, www.spread-betting.com is answering important questions concerning how one might bet the Dollar against the Euro or Pound against the Euro; questions about the Nasdaq ...
2011-04-27
AgilQuest Corporation, a business focused on workplace flexibility and real estate optimization, is a sponsor at the upcoming Telework Exchange Town Hall meeting. AgilQuest will demonstrate services and technology to create telework programs and explain how agencies can shift budgets to fund the telework mandates.
Telework Exchange's Town Hall Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 28 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. Government agencies will attend classes and speak to exhibitors as they work to comply with the recent Telework Enhancement Act of 2010.
"The ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Canadians should demand commitments for pharmacare program, says CMAJ
