Effective July 15, 1999, the portion of the drug cost paid by seniors through the provincial Drug Cost Assistance Plan will increase from $7 to $8 per prescription.
Provincial pharmacy consultant Patrick Crawford advised today that the increase is necessary because of major increases in drug costs and the number of seniors using the plan.
"The overall costs of the Seniors Drug Cost Assistance Plan have increased by almost 70 per cent, from $3.2 million in the 1994/95 fiscal year to $5.4 million in 1998/99," he said. "The number of seniors covered by the Plan has also increased by almost 20 per cent in the past four years from 16,000 to 19,000 seniors."
Funds collected from seniors cover only 16 per cent of the cost of delivering the Plan.
The number of prescriptions paid for by the Plan increased by 27 per cent, from 127,690 prescriptions in 1994/95 to 162,480 prescriptions in 1998/99. The average drug cost per prescription increased by 33 per cent, from $25 to $33 per prescription.
The last increase in the Plan was in 1993, when the seniors' portion increased from $4 to $7 per prescription.
Information on provincial drug cost assistance programs may be obtained by calling the Provincial Pharmacy at 1-877-577-3737 (toll free).