Not respecting your prescriptions or even not buying your medications because of their cost is certainly a more frequent behavior in Canada than in France where third-party payment is practiced for the vast majority of prescribed products or medications. For example, in Canada, prescription drugs are not universally covered by the 13 provincial and territorial health insurance systems and, in 2021, Canadian households paid more than $7.4 billion in out-of-pocket costs for medications. on prescription. In France and other countries, there is also an out-of-pocket charge for certain prescription health products, which can limit their accessibility for the most deprived people.
The analysis clearly shows that these 5% of people who skip doses or do not take their treatment do so for cost reasons.
The study conducted with more than 223,000 participants aged over 12, reveals that:
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5% of participants say they do not follow their treatment because of its cost;
- in practice, these patients skip or reduce dosesdelay their renewal or do not purchase the medications at all, due to their remaining out-of-pocket costs;
- women are 44% more likely to report the cost of medications as a barrier to treatment, likely because they tend to manage these purchases for the family;
- this tendency to not follow prescribed treatment is on the rise (in Canada).
Lead author Dr. Mary De Vera, a pharmacoepidemiologist and professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of British Columbia adds that people from more disadvantaged communities are 20% to 67% more likely to skip treatment due to cost.
Results which should help to inform public health insurance schemes, as public health also determines quality of life and incidentally productivity. Finally, in a more targeted manner, the researchers conclude that “Canadians remain immersed in uncertainty over the implementation of guaranteed access to drugs and therapies, like the citizens of almost all other countries with a public health system ».
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