Canadians continue to tell their government representatives that ensuring access to health care services and treatments is a top priority. For their part, governments are searching for ways to continue to deliver the optimal care for their citizens within their means and, therefore, healthcare has been targeted for cost-containment. It is within this context that several provincial governments are using or considering medicine rationing strategies to control drug budgets. The Best Medicines Coalition is very concerned that provincial governments have implemented or are considering severe cost-containment measures such as reference-based pricing (RBP). RBP and other restrictive policies put patients’ health at risk by limiting their choice and access to needed medications. Just as each individual patient is different, so are their responses to different medications.

For more information on RBP in British Columbia please visit the B.C. Better Pharmacare Coalition's website: http://www.betterpharmacare.com