Under the Canada Health Act, prescription drugs administered in Canadian hospitals are provided at no cost to the patient. Outside of the hospital setting, provincial and territorial governments are responsible for the administration of their own publicly-funded drug plans. The public drug plans determine what prescriptions drugs are listed and under what conditions for their eligible recipients.
Most Canadians have some access to insurance coverage for prescription drugs through a patchwork of public and/or private insurance plans. The federal, provincial and territorial governments offer varying levels of coverage and decide who is covered and what the patient and plan pays.The publicly-funded drug programs generally provide drug plan coverage for those most in need, based on age, income, and medical condition. Many Canadians and their family members have drug coverage linked to employment and some Canadians may have no effective drug coverage and pay the full cost of prescription drugs.
