Universal drug benefits for seniors

Moreover, a study of the prices and availability of drugs in Canada and the United States indicates that low-income seniors in both countries already have afford- able generic substitutes for nearly all of the most important drugs recommended for seniors by physicians. [...] To the contrary, it is because catastrophic expenses occur very infrequently among the population that drug costs for seniors (as for the rest of the population) are amenable to traditional insurance coverage. [...] For instance, until 2003, drug coverage for seniors in British Columbia was universal, regardless of income, whereas the eligibility of the rest of the population was. [...] Yet, according to the US Congressional Budget Office (US CBO), only 3. million of the 29 million seniors who will receive the new drug benefits will actually reach the defined total catastrophic threshold of US$5, 00 per person per year, which is equal to $3,600 in out-of-pocket spending under the provisions of the MMA. [...] Furthermore, the total drug costs for this group, all of which were covered publicly by the province of Manitoba, amounted to 44% of the entire public expenditure on drug benefits.