The provincial government, through the Ontario Drug Benefit program, pays for most drugs for roughly 2.8 million citizens, including all people over the age of 65, welfare recipients, residents of homes for special care and the disabled.
Health officials say theyll save more than $500 million through the changes announced this week.
Ontario first attempted to control the subsidies with legislation in 2006. That legislation was criticized for ignoring private employer drug plans.
The proposed changes announced this week would apply to the private plans. That prompted praise from some in the business community.
Over the past several years, health-insurance costs for Ontarios automakers have been one of the fastest rising costs of doing business, said Mark Nantais, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association.
Nantais said the changes would help boost competitiveness and manage rapidly rising drug costs within employee-sponsored benefit plans.
Ontario spends $3.4 billion annually on the publicly funded drug system. Just over one-quarter of that is spent on generics, according to officials.
Roughly 85 to 90 per cent of Ontarians are covered by private insurance plans and the ODB. The remainder pay for the entire cost of drugs on their own.
©rs of the older cohort are leading to a gap in services traditionally provided by the seniors.
Other factors are also coming into play. Concerns about the shifting economy, financial security and pension shortfalls are leading both the older cohort and Boomers to seek a return to paid employment, or to stay in the workforce longer are having a negative impact on the number of hours available for volunteer engagement.
In the regional consultations and at the National consultation participants noted the circular relationship between volunteering and positive and active aging. One tends to lead to the other.
The second half of the day focused on the subject of Active and Positive Aging, generally understood to mean to continuing participation in social, economic, cultural, spiritual and community affairs. It includes anything conducive to making positive and productive social whether that is achieved through paid work, volunteering or caregiving. The consensus is that it is not just being physically active.
It was encouraging to see that CARP has common cause with other national organizations with regards to the spirit of Zoomerism and the issues and initiatives that CARP has been supporting;age friendly communities, lifelong learning, inter-generational activities, community engagement, aging in place, accessibility and inclusiveness, getting involved in social issues etc.
