Trudeau announces COVID-19-related direct financial support for seniors aged 65 and over | Page 4 | General financial discussion | Discussion forum

Norman1 said
Thanks, pwm.

I just learned something: Pharmacies in Manitoba do not have an obligation to disclose dispensing fee separately as they do in other provinces!

See University of Manitoba drug plan document Prescription Drug Claims and Dispensing Fees.

In 2015, Walmart charged $9.71. So, you likely are paying a $10 dispensing fee for $7.35 of drug.  

Thanks for that Norman1. I did not know that. My pension came with benefits, so I only pay 10% of that $10.00 but never the less, my company is paying the rest.

Norman1 said
Seniors are affected on their expenses side.

For example, pharmacies are now refusing to issue renewals for more than a one-month supply of medication, even for drugs that are not short in supply. Before, one could get a six-month supply. Now, they need to pay 6X prescription fees and make a trip every month instead of every six months.

  

Norman, I'm very surprised with your posting. You're usually less biased and more informed with your answers. Ministry of Health INSTRUCTED pharmacists to dispense a 30 day supply with allowances of a 90 day supply in exceptional circumstances with appropriate documentation provided.
Reference: https://www.ocpinfo.com/regulations-standards/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-patients/

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en.....200320.pdf

And ALL co-pays for seniors/other Ontario Drug Benefit recipients have been waived since May 13/20.

Reference:

https://mailchi.mp/21a6a92e2839/e-connect-ismp-safety-bulletin-professional-judgment-and-30-day-dispensing-and-more
Province provides relief for Ontarians using the Ontario Drug Benefit Program
On May 13, 2020, the Ministry of Health amended Ontario Regulation 201/96 to reduce the co-payments to $0 for all prescriptions for more than a 30-day supply that are now being dispensed according to the Ministry’s supply limit recommendation. The government will cover the cost of these co-payments during this time. While this helps alleviate the unintended cost impact to ODB recipients, pharmacists’ professional judgement should still be exercised to provide a longer days’ supply of patients’ medications when required (and to document appropriately)

Re the 30 day supply, is "recommending" the same as "instructing"? I don't know. I find a lot of these virus-related provisions are unclear as to whether they're suggestions or mandatory, the strict rule-followers in my friends and family telling me I'm not allowed to do something when I think it's just a recommendation that I'm free to ignore.

Norman1 said

Briguy said

Norman, I'm very surprised with your posting. You're usually less biased and more informed with your answers. Ministry of Health INSTRUCTED pharmacists to dispense a 30 day supply with allowances of a 90 day supply in exceptional circumstances with appropriate documentation provided.
Reference: https://www.ocpinfo.com/regulations-standards/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-patients/

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en.....200320.pdf

And ALL co-pays for seniors/other Ontario Drug Benefit recipients have been waived since May 13/20.

Reference:

https://mailchi.mp/21a6a92e2839/e-connect-ismp-safety-bulletin-professional-judgment-and-30-day-dispensing-and-more
Province provides relief for Ontarians using the Ontario Drug Benefit Program
On May 13, 2020, the Ministry of Health amended Ontario Regulation 201/96 to reduce the co-payments to $0 for all prescriptions for more than a 30-day supply that are now being dispensed according to the Ministry’s supply limit recommendation. The government will cover the cost of these co-payments during this time. While this helps alleviate the unintended cost impact to ODB recipients, pharmacists’ professional judgement should still be exercised to provide a longer days’ supply of patients’ medications when required (and to document appropriately)

Why would people complain if they weren't paying any extra? They were paying more, even in Ontario.

The $0 co-payments came in on May 13, almost two months after that March 20 direction to Ontario pharmacists. What do you think was happening between March 20 and May 13? Were the Ontario pharmacists graciously absorbing the extra dispensing fees?

The ODB stuff only applies to Ontario. Not all the seniors are in Ontario. The BC government hasn't said it would absorb any extra dispensing fees. Little incentive for the BC government to do so. According to CBC: Some B.C. pharmacies to remove 30-day prescription refill limit as drug-supply fears ease, it was the BC pharmacists and not the BC government that put in the 30-day refill limit:

[British Columbia] Minister of Health Adrian Dix said the limits on refills wasn't mandated by the B.C. government but public concerns over cost are being looked into.

  

Sounds like its the shameless BC pharmacists taking advantage of the covid-19 situation then. No integrity...

Norman1 said

Bill said
Re the 30 day supply, is "recommending" the same as "instructing"? I don't know. I find a lot of these virus-related provisions are unclear as to whether they're suggestions or mandatory, the strict rule-followers in my friends and family telling me I'm not allowed to do something when I think it's just a recommendation that I'm free to ignore.

It was more of a recommendation. If one looks at the text of the Ontario government instruction to the pharmacists that Briguy posted, they were still free to use their judgment and dispense up to a 90 day supply.

However, they faced the choice of (1) doing the extra documentation and receive no extra dispensing fees or (2) don't do the extra documentation and collect 3X dispensing fees!

I'm not surprised lots of them chose #2. I still remember eons ago that it wasn't the pharmacist that told my parents that they could ask for a larger supply of one of my prescriptions instead of a monthly one. It was actually one of their friends that told them.

Parents saved a lot of money paying something like $10 dispensing fee for $12 of drug once every six months. Before, they were paying the same $10 fee each month for a $2 supply of the drug.  

I'm not sure why you're so biased against pharmacists. Pharmacists can only dispense a 3 month supply in Ontario at this time if there is a specific reason, otherwise they are not following Ministry of Health guidelines if they routinely do so. Most pharmacies have been doing free delivery so mobility isn't an issue. I would have hoped you would have been more appreciative as they are being exposed to potentially sick patients coming in with COVID for acetaminophen, antibiotics for secondary bacterial pneumonia, etc. I assume you don't work for your employer for free ?

I'm not even going to respond to savemoresaveoften because I ignore quite a few of the posters here, but I do tend to value your posts, or at least I used to.

Bill said
I'm just amazed that people complain about a few bucks fees related to little miracle things (that they get practically free once they're seniors) that they would be dead without. Kinda like people complaining about parking fees at the hospital where they visit their loved one who just had her life saved (for free!) by operations, treatments, etc.  

Parking rates at Hospitals are usurous! Worse than tourist trap rip offs! 😀

Briguy said

Agreed ! I don't get why people are so worried about a few dollars to the extent they do. Example, going to Costco and waiting hours for a free tire rotation. Or in this case, resenting pharmacies who charge more than Costco because they don't fill 400 prescriptions a day and charge their lower fee. And I'm like you with FIs- I have a lot of accounts at different ones but just use a few for RRSPs or HISA , but that doesn't mean I begrudge Scotiabank my business for day to day activities, even though I have to give up 5000 dollars since it's parked in my chequing account to avoid fees .  

For what I collect in a savings account it is not going to change us. Scotia Powerchequing Plus no minimum balance. I got free banking at 59 back then. I have 0.00 balance the day before OAS/CPP arrives. A savings account with $2,000 that pays $5 interest yearly. Having fun.

Briguy said

I'm not sure why you're so biased against pharmacists. Pharmacists can only dispense a 3 month supply in Ontario at this time if there is a specific reason, otherwise they are not following Ministry of Health guidelines if they routinely do so. Most pharmacies have been doing free delivery so mobility isn't an issue. I would have hoped you would have been more appreciative as they are being exposed to potentially sick patients coming in with COVID for acetaminophen, antibiotics for secondary bacterial pneumonia, etc. I assume you don't work for your employer for free ?

I'm not even going to respond to savemoresaveoften because I ignore quite a few of the posters here, but I do tend to value your posts, or at least I used to.  

The original stated intent was to ensure supplies wouldn't run out. This tripled the expenses for seniors. Now government announces this slippery worded directive that states they will cover the dispensing fees if pharmacists dispense 3 month supply and include in their directive an explanation of consideration for vulnerable populations such as First Nations communities who may be self isolating. Shouldn't seniors who require prescription medicines be included as well ? The government should be covering any costs above the "pre plandemic"rates in my opinion.
As far as hospital parking fees I am pretty sure that the companies that run the parking lots take a bigger cut than the hospital and I think the lots are government property.

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So in all the information that's available about this (Re: Trudeau announces COVID-19-related direct financial support for seniors aged 65 and over), I guess I must have missed this little part . . .

. . . exactly 'When' is this supposed to happen ❓❗