Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you.
We are pleased to have the opportunity to share our views on Bill C‑64.
I will be giving my opening remarks in English, but I would be glad to answer questions in either English or French.
Our testimony tonight is really aimed at providing the committee with a very practical perspective on what could happen at the pharmacy counter as changes are contemplated and considered as part of the legislation. My testimony will focus on three points.
The first is around the role of pharmacists in pharmacare. As anyone who has used a prescription drug will know, the pharmacist is the last person the patient will see before they get their medications. While the act of dispensing is complex, pharmacists do a lot more than simply fill prescriptions and sell medications; they provide critical care and counselling that are integral to the effective use of medications. Their daily interactions with patients place them in a unique position to understand their needs, educate them on proper medication use and advise on potential drug interactions. Pharmacare really should not be just about the cost of the drugs, but also the care that goes along with them.
Pharmacists also play a significant role in drug plan management and navigation, and that's not often seen by many patients. Every day, they submit millions of claims on behalf of their patients, they spend time on the phone with insurance plans and they help patients identify alternative treatment options that are covered by their plans. For this reason, it's essential that we have a pharmacist on the government's proposed committee of experts.
The second point I'd like to make is around how best to target medication coverage. Contraceptive and diabetes medications are two very important drug classes, and there's no doubt about that. There's also no doubt that there are too many people in Canada who don't have access to these drugs for cost-related reasons.
However, the focus of Bill C-64, which aims to provide free contraceptive and diabetes medications to all Canadians, irrespective of their existing coverage, could warrant reconsideration. The intent of reducing the burden of these drugs is the right one, but our view is that the projected cost of over a billion dollars could provide even more comprehensive coverage if directed toward expanding coverage for a broader range of medications for those who currently lack adequate coverage, rather than replacing coverage for those with existing drug plans. We believe such an approach would be more feasible, fit better with the needs of provinces and limit disruptions, all while ensuring universal coverage for all.
That brings me to my third and last point. While change is sorely needed to ensure universal pharmacare, the potential for significant disruption can't be overstated. As members of this committee can likely attest from the recent changes to the PSHCP, or Public Service Health Care Plan, changing drug plans can be very disruptive for plan members and for pharmacists. Switching patients from a private drug plan to a public drug plan can be equally disruptive, so changes must be implemented carefully to avoid confusion and reduce administrative burden.
The reality is that public drug plans across Canada are far less comprehensive than private plans, which means that if the legislation shifts patients from their private plans to a public plan, pharmacists and physicians will likely have to spend a considerable amount of time switching patients to new therapies, especially if their drug is no longer covered under a public plan; filling out paperwork to get special exemptions; and communicating these changes to patients.
In conclusion, I'd like to provide a personal example. I'm on a birth control pill that is not on the current list proposed by the federal government, and it took me three years to find the pill that worked for me and didn't have side effects that I would have had to live with daily as a woman.
This raised some very real questions for me when I looked at the intent of the bill. Will my employer continue to cover contraceptives if that's not covered? I'll certainly lobby for it, but it's definitely a question in my mind. Will my pharmacy continue to stock products that aren't broadly covered? If there are exemptions, will my pharmacist have to apply for that exemption on my behalf, as they often do with many drug plans?
I hope this gives you a sense of frontline issues that could arise.
I thank you and welcome your questions.