CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 6

9 Issue 6 | 2018 | CDA at W ork A s a prescribing profession, dentistry has a stake in the ongoing discus- sions about a national pharmacare program. In March, the federal government created an Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare (the Advisory Council), chaired by former Ontario Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins, to examine what a national program for Canadians could look like. CDA is adding its voice to the discussions on this important issue. Over the summer, CDA and the provincial/territorial dental associations are participating in the Advisory Council’s invitation- only roundtable sessions that are being held across the country, with the goal of providing the Minister of Health and the Minister of Finance with a report and recommendations by spring 2019. CDA is also providing leadership on the Conference Board of Canada’s National Pharmacare Initiative (NPI), an approach that aims to address fundamental questions about setting up a pharmacare program, such as who is covered, what is covered, who pays, and how should it be administered. As a member of the NPI Steering Committee, I participated in its Leaders’ Roundtable in June and will be in Toronto for the National Pharmacare Summit in November. CDA’s view is that pharmacare should cover essential drug costs for those in greatest need. A majority of Canadians have some form of coverage for prescription drugs, and we must ensure that a public drug plan in Canada supports the coverage Canadians currently have and does not shift their drug costs to public plans. Instead, national pharmacare needs to understand and address the gaps in pharmaceutical coverage, and identify those who are not currently covered, or are insufficiently covered, by private employer-funded benefit plans or public drug plans, whether it’s someone with a critical or rare illness or individuals from low- income households. To be fiscally sustainable— particularly with rising drug costs— a pharmacare program should build on what already exists. Another essential message CDA is conveying in these discussions is that the overriding principle must be the needs and best interests of the patient, not what drugs are covered by pharmacare. A national pharmacare program should include some flexibility that would ensure patients receive appropriate pharmaceutical care for their needs. All publicly funded programs, including the possibility of pharmacare, should respect the dentist-patient relationship in a way that supports shared, informed decision-making in person-centred care. Dentists and other prescribers have an essential role in ensuring that patient well-being remains at the heart of discussions about building a national pharmacare program. If you would like to share your views about pharmacare, visit the Advisory Council’s online consultation platform at letstalkhealth.ca/pharmacare . CDA is preparing a formal submission to the Advisory Council by September 28. By adding our voice to the conversation, CDA is ensuring that dentistry has an influential role in shaping a comprehensive, evidence-based pharmacare program that is in the best interests of all Canadians. From the President Michel (Mitch) Taillon, dmd president@cda-adc.ca National Pharmacare Putting patients first