As mentioned in the previous blog, health care utilization is a far greater cost driver than many other factors. For example, a family physician writes a prescription for Celebrex for a patient with aches and pains. The patient is over 65 and on the Ontario Drug Benefit program so the drug is paid for. The patient is also on 81mg Aspirin to prevent heart attack. The protective effect and main reason for prescribing Celebrex is no lost.
Yet, our drug plan stills pays $1.37 per pill for the Celebrex. Why? A simple prescription of Naproxen or similar anti-inflamatory would be perfectly suitable and as safe for only 21 cents a pill! Whats going on? There are many examples of such blatant utilization abuses within our system costing millions of your dollars.
The reason it is prescribed is mainly because the sales representative from the drug company had just finished taking the precriber out to dinner and you the tax payer are paying for it!
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