Fixing BC PharmaCare: Putting Patients First

How you can get involved

Meet or write your MLA

The BPC has written to all MLAs in British Columbia to reiterate that BC patients needs this Government to demonstrate its commitment that patient interests and input are reflected in the new BC PharmaCare drug review process. BPC is calling on you to contact your MLA to let him/her know that you support the messages contained in this letter, and in the wider ï¿½Fixing BC PharmaCare: Putting Patients Firstï¿½ campaign. Let them know that you are part of an organized provincial coalition representing the interests of more than two million constituents across the province. We encourage you to meet with them face-to-face, but if that is not possible then please phone or write them with your views, indicating your support.

Please take action today so that we can ensure Government puts patients first.

Overview
British Columbia is on the verge of the most significant drug policy reform in the past 15 years. In anticipation of the BC Governmentï¿½s announcement in late June on a Long Term Pharmacy Agreement and a new policy on generic medication pricing, the Better Pharmacare Coalition is calling on British Columbians to ensure that patientsï¿½ interests are the key consideration in any reform. In doing so, the BC Government would keep its promise for patients to be a ï¿½paramount priorityï¿½ made in the Pharmaceutical Task Force recommendations accepted by the BC Government in May 2008.

We are asking all patients in BC to get involved to make sure that the BC Government keeps the interests of patients as the guiding focus as they overhaul BC PharmaCare drug review and reimbursement policy reform.

Your voice and participation in the reform process is critical to ensuring that the government, media and British Columbians are aware of patient and patient group perspectives.

What can you do?

MLA Letter
The BPC encourages you to draft a letter to your local MLA asking them to endorse our campaign to ensure Government keeps its promise to keep patientsï¿½ interests as a top priority in the upcoming drug policy reform announcements. This letter will ensure that our issues are on the radar of the key government contacts.

Here are our recommended key areas of focus:
- Savings from generics
- Strengthening patient/physician relationship
- Patient input in Pharmaceutical Task Force implementation and BC PharmaCare drug review process
MLA meetings
Meeting with and getting a commitment from MLAs that they will raise patientsï¿½ issues and help make them a priority will be important. The primary goal of this campaign is to help them recognize that patientsï¿½ access to the affordable, appropriate medications, at the right time, is an important issue for our provinceï¿½s long-term health and well-being.

Core Messaging

Todayï¿½s reality for BC patients:
- The BC government is on the verge of the most significant overhaul of BC pharmaceutical drug review and reimbursement policy reform in the past 15 years.
- It is critical to ensure that patients are kept a ï¿½paramount priorityï¿½ as stated in the Pharmaceutical Task Force report fully endorsed by the BC Government in May 2008.
- Canadian patients and drug plans pay some of the highest prices in the world for brand name medications that have gone off patent (or ï¿½generic medicationsï¿½).
- BC continues to pay one of the highest prices for generic medications of any jurisdiction in Canada ï¿½ approximately 70% of brand name (or ï¿½research-basedï¿½) medications. The appropriate cost reduction of all generic medications would deliver significant costs savings to the BC Government and should be reinvested in new, breakthrough medications that merit listing on the BC PharmaCareï¿½s drug formulary.
- Last month, Ontario took significant steps to control medication costs when it announced reforms intended to tackle the rising cost of generic medications. Beginning in May, Ontario will ban the practice whereby pharmaceutical companies pay "professional allowances" to pharmacists to stock and sell their products.
- Generic medication manufacturers play an important role in Canadaï¿½s healthcare system, but they invest little on research and development or on patient education.
What Patients Want
- BC Government legislation to bring pricing of generic medications down to pricing levels commensurate with Ontario.
- Following Ontarioï¿½s lead, the BC Government can save millions by lowering the cost of generic medications to 30% of what brand-name medications costs, down from the 50 to 70 % of which they currently pay.
- Reinvest the savings into new and breakthrough medications that merit listing on the BC PharmaCare drug reimbursement formulary, and provide reasonable remuneration to pharmacists for cognitive services.

Timing:

The Five Steps to meeting with an MLA:

Step 1: Request a meeting with your MLA

Please see the MLA Finder for contact information for each MLA.
State that you are taking part in an information campaign to discuss patientsï¿½ interests in BC PharmaCare reform. Request a 30 minute meeting. Many MLAs will ask that you send some kind of written request to help coordinate the meeting. Their office may ask you to provide the names of individuals who will be attending the meeting. They may also ask you to submit to them any specific questions (or at least confirm the topic or issue that you want to discuss) prior to the meeting. The more information you can provide to the MLAï¿½s office prior to your meeting the better.
Donï¿½t forget to call the MLAï¿½s office the day before your meeting to confirm everything (a MLAï¿½s schedules often change with little warning).

Step 3: Prepare for your meeting

MLA Background
Prior to attending the meeting, please review the background information on the MLA provided in the campaign toolkit. Some things to consider:
- Is your MLA known for a particular stand on healthcare issues?
- Does your MLA have a special connection with the issue?
- What is the MLAï¿½s Party policy towards key patient issues?
Try to get a commitment from the MLA that they will raise patientsï¿½ concerns particularly relating to the upcoming Long Term Pharmacy Agreement and policy on generic medication pricing.

Key Policy Issues Affecting Patients
Familiarize yourself with the key issues on the Better Pharmacare Coalition website , particularly the Fixing BC PharmaCare: Putting Patients First campaign page and the Better Pharmacare Coalition Tracking Tool.

Develop your Action Plan for the meeting
Have a plan so that even if the meeting is shortened to 15 minutes, all of the key points will be covered. See the Fixing BC PharmaCare: Putting Patients First information on the Better Pharmacare Coalition website for key issues.

Rehearse your presentation before meeting with the MLA. On the day of the presentation meet a little early to review the presentation and settle any last minute questions. Remember to allow ample time for your MLA to respond to your concerns; giving them time to talk, will give you an idea of where they stand on the subject.

Step 4: The meeting itself
Do:
- Be on time.
- Be patient if your MLA is late or unavailable to start right on time.
- Expect that you may receive only half the time you were allotted, due to their busy schedule.
- If your MLA is a Minister, call her/him "Minister" when you speak to him/her.
- Inform your MLA that other BPC representatives are talking to his/her colleagues across BC.
- Be patient if the MLA has lots of questions (don't assume that a MLA will know everything, or even anything, about patient healthcare issues; likewise, given their busy schedules they may not have been fully briefed prior to your meeting)
- Keep an eye on the time so that the MLA has an opportunity to express opinions and commit to follow-up action.
Don't
- Don't bring anyone with you who isn't necessary to your presentation.
- Don't introduce any unexpected topics into the meeting.
- Don't be argumentative ï¿½ be persuasive. If the MLA seems to be resistant to discussing the issues or doesnï¿½t seem to be ï¿½on-side,ï¿½ make your best case but don't do anything to alienate her/him. If the disagreement is a matter of details, try for an agreement in principle. If the disagreement is a matter of approach, try for an agreement in objectives.
Step 5: Follow-up after the meeting