Understanding the Gap 2.0
A Pan-Canadian Analysis of Prescription Drug Insurance Coverage
Français • May 6, 2022
Most Canadians—97.2 per cent—are eligible for some form of prescription drug coverage. This includes insurance offered by public and private drug plans.
Across the country, the uninsured gap in prescription drug coverage is under 1.1 million people, or 2.8 per cent of the population.
Sources: Statistics Canada; Provincial Governments; Canadian Institute for Health Information; Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association of Canada; Conference Board of Canada.
Large drop in the number of uninsured
The uninsured gap is almost half what it was six years ago. Since then, 812,000 Canadians have become eligible for prescription drug coverage.
The uninsured gap captures people who are not eligible for a public drug plan and are also not enrolled in a private plan.
Sources: Statistics Canada; Provincial Governments; Canadian Institute for Health Information; Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association of Canada; Conference Board of Canada.
The introduction of OHIP+ is helping close the gap in Ontario and nationally.
The proportion of uninsured Ontarians has fallen by 45 per cent since 2016.
Since then, 1.7 million Ontarians have become eligible for public drug coverage, including 1.3 million children and youth under 25 years of age.
Share of Ontarians Who Are Uninsured
(per cent)
Sources: Statistics Canada; Government of Ontario; Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association of Canada; The Conference Board of Canada.
While the gap in coverage is small, one in 10 Canadians are not enrolled in a prescription drug plan.
After accounting for private coverage, 3.8 million Canadians are not enrolled in a public or private plan for which they are eligible. This represents 10.1 per cent of the population, down slightly from 11.3 per cent in 2016.
Enrolment in public drug plans varies from one province to another and is driven by various factors.
Canadians May Not Enroll in a Public Drug Plan Because They May Have:
Sources: The Conference Board of Canada.
Even when insured, some Canadians do not have sufficient or equitable access to medications.
There are various reasons for this:
- Differences in which drugs are covered.
- Delayed access.
- Out-of-pocket costs.
Take a closer look at our research in health.
Understanding the Gap 2.0
(Data Briefing)
Race Against Time
(Summary For Executives)
This research was made possible through the financial support of Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC). The responsibility for the findings and conclusions of this research rests entirely with The Conference Board of Canada.