There's a term I've read, “cost-related non-adherence”. It refers to people cutting pills and skipping the medication their doctor or care provider has prescribed to them because they can't afford it. It's not even just a simple matter of having insurance, because many insurance programs have copays, and some of these copays can be very big.
I live in the community of Regent Park in Toronto. It's a very mixed community. I was in my drugstore just the other day, and there was a customer in front of me who went up to the counter and had to ask what the copay was. The pharmacist said it was $14 for whatever he was getting. He paused and mumbled to himself, “I think I can get that cheaper,” and turned and left. I don't know what happened. How long does that go on? Do they end up in a hospital somewhere?
We've seen this. I've had nurses tell me they've seen patients who have cut their medication and have ended up in very serious condition in the hospital. As I mentioned, I would refer to the study from St. Michael's that found $1,600 per year per patient could be saved by giving people free access to their medication. That's just a start.
I'm very excited to see what this program brings in for these two classes of medications. We'll have the expert panel. We'll get a report back. I think it's going to be very encouraging.