[Knoss]

Here is how the Saskatchewan Drug Plan should work. It is fiscally responsible helps those who need it

1. Reduce costs to the system by allowing pharmacists to renew prescriptions.
2. Full PST exception for prescription drugs
3. Allow prescription drugs as personal income tax deductions
4. Pay rebate to those who do not pay income tax or do not pay enough income tax to receive full benefit from the deduction.

[Knoss]

Quote:

1. I disagree. A pharmacist is NOT a doctor, and prescriptions should not be renewed without a check-up.

What if we did as Milton Freedmen proposed and end doctor licensing. Then any drug store could afford to hire a doctor. j/k.

Pharmacists have full medical training and should get more responsibility.

Quote:

I'd add to that list something about people who need to buy a lot of "drug paraphernalia. such as diabetics. They need a break.

These people never were inclluded.

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PST shouldn't be opn necessities, and I believe prescription druds should fall under that category.

FULL EXCEMPTION

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4. Wouldn't those people already fall under pharmacare?

This way pharmecare can be universal while only paying those of low income who require income assistance.

[Saskanna]

We can't afford the health services we have now. HOW are we going to afford to pay for EVERYONE'S prescription drugs? This is insanity.

Doesn't Saskatchewan already have a Plan for low income people? Isn't it called "Welfare"?

I just hate it when politicians think we can be bought with our own money. I thought in the Twenty-First Century we would have moved a long way past that attitude? Gad, am I ever angry at how this election campaign is going. Promises, Promises, and all and sundry spending MY tax dollars. Are people really taken in by this type of campaigning?

[Blue_Nose]

Knoss wrote:

Pharmacists have full medical training and should get more responsibility.

They certainly don't have "full medical training".

[Knoss]

Quote:

They certainly don't have "full medical training".

They go to med school.

[Scape]

lily wrote:

4. Wouldn't those people already fall under pharmacare?

Pharnacare is BC, he's talking about this.

[neopundit]

Blue_Nose wrote:

Knoss wrote:

Pharmacists have full medical training and should get more responsibility.

They certainly don't have "full medical training".

No, but I'll bet they know more about drugs, possible side effects and problems with prolonged use, and maybe even possible alternatives than doctors do.

That and they have a ton more time to consult with patients. A good chunk of a pharmacists (high) salary is paid by the taxpayer. We should get more than a person moving pills from a big jar to a smaller jar.

[Scape]

Knoss wrote:

Here is how the Saskatchewan Drug Plan should work. It is fiscally responsible helps those who need it

1. Reduce costs to the system by allowing pharmacists to renew prescriptions.
2. Full PST exception for prescription drugs
3. Allow prescription drugs as personal income tax deductions
4. Pay rebate to those who do not pay income tax or do not pay enough income tax to receive full benefit from the deduction.

1. Alberta does this already but the CMA does not look favorably at this. The reason is that the pharmacists are the point of sale and you can get in to a conflict of interest where the drugs being filled have more to with the profits of the pharmacist then the health of the client. Just allowing renewing is a slippery slope, as there may be be one type of drug but there could be dozens of different manufactures and wholesalers of the same drug all with their own special rate for that pharmacist and their interests would trump the clients if point of sale also becomes point of prescription.

2. Viagra is a prescription, should we have a tax write off now so grandpa can get a woody? Your heart is in the right place but your putting the cart before the horse here. Having a provincial drug program to offset the costs of catastrophic drug costs indexed by your taxes makes more sense as it levels the field and provides universal access.

3. Having a provincial drug program is a monumental task. It is made harder by stepping on the feds toes and telling them how to do their job when you want to keep it in house under provincial jurisdiction. The feds lay out the ground work under the health act and the provinces are the ones that make it work. Do we want a national drug program run by the feds? I shudder to think of how that will work and the cost but to change tax law for this is sweeping in that direction.

4. That's in effect in BC as we index the cover based on the taxes already. Preaching to the choir.

[Blue_Nose]

Knoss wrote:

Quote:

They certainly don't have "full medical training".

They go to med school.

No, they don't!! They get a B.Sc. in Pharmacy, and write an exam.

neopundit wrote:

We should get more than a person moving pills from a big jar to a smaller jar.

Definately. For the effort they put into getting accepted into the program, etc, you'd think there'd be a lot more to the job. I don't think that means just giving them the authority to dole out drugs to the public, though.

[ShepherdsDog]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/s ... hub=Canada

Quote:

Definately. For the effort they put into getting accepted into the program, etc, you'd think there'd be a lot more to the job. I don't think that means just giving them the authority to dole out drugs to the public, though.

A friend of mine from university graduated with a BSc in Chemistry and tried to get into the Pharmacy program. His marks weren't good enough so he settled with enrolling in the 2 year Lab tech Program at Red River Community College.

[neopundit]

ShepherdsDog wrote:

A friend of mine from university graduated with a BSc in Chemistry and tried to get into the Pharmacy program. His marks weren't good enough so he settled with enrolling in the 2 year Lab tech Program at Red River Community College.

Pharmacy is a racket. Like any job that requires a license, supply is artificially limited. School is hyper-competitive, there are limitations on practicing across provincial borders and I'm pretty sure that schools frown on college applicants from out of province.

Now, this is acceptable in some circumstances. But I don't understand how the government doesn't step in to eliminate some limitations when a chunk of a pharmacists artificially high wages are paid by us, the taxpayers.

[Regina]

neopundit wrote:

ShepherdsDog wrote:

A friend of mine from university graduated with a BSc in Chemistry and tried to get into the Pharmacy program. His marks weren't good enough so he settled with enrolling in the 2 year Lab tech Program at Red River Community College.

Pharmacy is a racket. Like any job that requires a license, supply is artificially limited. School is hyper-competitive, there are limitations on practicing across provincial borders and I'm pretty sure that schools frown on college applicants from out of province.

Now, this is acceptable in some circumstances. But I don't understand how the government doesn't step in to eliminate some limitations when a chunk of a pharmacists artificially high wages are paid by us, the taxpayers.

There are actually more pharmacists being graduated now, then in any other time in Canadian history. Practicing in other provinces is certainly not frowned upon at all, nor is practicing in the US because of shortages there as well. Pharmacy openings in the last 20 years have simply outstripped the ability for Universities to graduate the quantities needed. Ontario has also started or is soon to start another pharmacy school at one of the universities. Lucrative pay has made the profession a highly sought after position therefore creating the intense competitiveness in getting accepted. Like any other program, there is always a bit of provincial favouritism, but this has very little to do with it. There’s also nothing artificial about it at all, it’s simple supply and demand. The demand has been created by the private sector and has nothing to do with tax dollars. Since when has anyone’s tax money in Canada gone to building the new Rexall or Shoppers Drug Mart on every second corner?
While for the most part the job looks boring, just standing and counting pills. In reality they’re very well educated and underutilized. Ontario has been working at giving them a larger roll in healthcare decision-making. Helping physicians and other healthcare professionals with proper dosages and dispensing advice. In the near future they may also have the ability to prescribe certain drugs and authorize refills to avoid a sometimes, needless visit to the doctor. Right now there’s a push by the Ontario government to have people with multiple prescriptions re-visit their pharmacist for a “Med-Check” which many have probably seen on TV advertisements. The patient brings all their meds to the pharmacist and sits down with them for about a half hour going over all of them and checking their medical history. If there’s a previously unknown conflict with them the doctor is made aware and a change is made.
I’ve had great advice from them and most love to come out from behind the counter to spill out all their knowledge………………… in regards to your runny nose.

[neopundit]

Regina wrote:

There are actually more pharmacists being graduated now, then in any other time in Canadian history.

Irrelevant. There is still a shortage of pharmacists.

Regina wrote:

Practicing in other provinces is certainly not frowned upon at all

The fact the schools limit the amount of out of province applicants they accept, as well as the fact an Ontario pharmacists license is no good in Alberta tells me otherwise.

Regina wrote:

There’s also nothing artificial about it at all, it’s simple supply and demand.

The OPA is a cartel that limits the supply of graduating pharmacists in order to inflate wages. Why isn't there a pharmacy college at every University in Ontario? Because the OPA doesn't want it. The fact that there is a shortage of pharmacists means demand isn't being met.

Regina wrote:

The demand has been created by the private sector and has nothing to do with tax dollars. Since when has anyone’s tax money in Canada gone to building the new Rexall or Shoppers Drug Mart on every second corner?

Umm, the vast majority of revenue from pharmacies in Ontario comes from the Ontario Drug Benefit plan. Where does that money come from?

[Knoss]

Quote:

The fact the schools limit the amount of out of province applicants they accept, as well as the fact an Ontario pharmacists license is no good in Alberta tells me otherwise.

That is a problem in every industry.

I would like to see a cut in license requirments for all medical professions.

[neopundit]

Knoss wrote:

That is a problem in every industry.

I would like to see a cut in license requirments for all medical professions.

Right, and for pharmacy the reason is very transparent. Because of the competitiveness to get into school, they don't want students who can't get in at U of T coming to U of Alberta, then moving back to Ontario upon graduation.