Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Chapter 5: Health
The <strong>Commission</strong> regrets it was not able to be informed by any modelling of such an option,
which would have helped clarify the net fiscal impact and the incidence. However, we feel that
at worst it should be possible to design such a scenario on a cost-neutral basis that would still
leave the benefits of enhanced equity and less disincentive for social assistance recipients to
enter the workforce. Ontario is not the only province to explore these options. British Columbia
offers a model worthy of study: in 2003, it changed its age-dependent program into one that
links solely to income.
Recommendation 5-89: Help reduce medication errors through the use of electronic supports
to cross-reference multiple prescriptions.
Recommendation 5-90: Reduce fraudulent prescription medication use through the use of
drug information systems.
Recommendation 5-91: Pursue — with other provinces — the possibility of establishing a
national entity that would set a common price for pharmaceuticals for the entire country
(or at least jurisdictions opting in).
This would create economies of scale. In addition, a number of regulatory bodies at both the
provincial and federal levels are responsible for overseeing the pharmaceutical industry.
The regulations set by one body often do not map to those set by another, and often they are
not aligned to those set by comparable bodies in other countries. Overlapping regulations
across provinces and across countries add costs and present barriers to new drugs entering
the marketplace in an efficient manner.
Recommendation 5-92: Conduct drug-to-drug comparisons to determine which drug is the
most efficient at addressing a given ailment.
Drugs are approved by Health Canada for use after studies prove that they are more effective
than a sugar pill. Groups such as ICES and HQO need to conduct treatment comparison
studies to help inform what kinds of pharmaceuticals (and, if applicable, treatment
combinations) should be prescribed to provide the most effective and efficient care.
Decisions regarding coverage of new brand-name drugs should be made with an evidencebased
approach to ensure that all new drugs are adding value that exceeds their cost.
Recommendation 5-93: Work with the federal government to ensure that Ontario’s interests
in expanding use of generic drugs are not undermined by a Canada-European Union Free
Trade Agreement.
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