P.E.I. catastrophic drug plan only paid out $900K in 1st year

The P.E.I. government allocated less than a third of the $3 million set aside for its new catastrophic drug program during the program's first full year of operation.

Only $900,000 of the money earmarked in the 2014-15 provincial budget was spent on the program, according to government documents.

Health and Wellness Minister Doug Currie said some families who could benefit from the program aren't applying because they don't know it exists.

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"We anticipate that there are Islanders that may not be aware that this program is in place," Currie said. "And certainly we want to continue to get the message out there ... that the province has programs, such as the catastrophic drug program, to support these individuals and these families."

P.E.I.'s catastrophic drug program covers drug costs once they reach a certain percentage of household income, starting at three per cent for households earning $20,000 or less, and up to 12 per cent for households earning $100,000 or more.

Currie said more than 500 households have used the program, and the same $3 million has been budgeted for the current fiscal year.

He said the money that wasn't spent last year was used to add more drugs to P.E.I.'s provincial drug formulary, which is the list of drugs the province will pay for under its various drug coverage programs.

According to government's website, applications for catastrophic drug coveragemust go through an assessment process. There was no immediate figure for how many applicants were deemed ineligible for the program.

P.E.I. was one of only two provinces without catastrophic drug coverage when the province brought in its plan in the fall of 2013. Groups like the Canadian Cancer Society and the MS Society had lobbied the province for years to develop a program.