Introduction
According to Dr. Richard Nahas, online pharmacies have become very popular in the country and also south of the border, in the US. They offer a lot of prescription medicines at an affordable cost and bring a lot of conveniences. Let’s check out who benefits the most from online Canadian pharmacies.
The Benefits
- Uninsured patients – While the number of people who are uninsured for prescription drugs forms a tiny fraction in the US and Canada, they still make up millions. There are many reasons that these people are uninsured. For some, it’s unaffordable and some simply refuse to buy it. Either way, these patients look towards online Canadian pharmacies for their prescription drugs at cheaper prices. Since these patients aren’t covered by insurers, they pay out of pocket and online Canadian pharmacies help them to get their medicine at the best prices.
- Seniors – Both Canadian and US federal and state or provincial governments have programs to cover thousands of prescription drugs for seniors. However, all places aren’t equal. Some have an excellent program while others are notorious for sub-par coverage. The picture is not rosy in places where the coverage is stretched wider across more prescription drugs.
Some programs don’t cover the entire cost of the drug while other programs keep dropping drugs from their coverage list. This affects millions of seniors and eats away at their savings that keep getting stretched by inflation. These seniors benefit greatly from cheap prescription drugs sold by online Canadian pharmacies.
- Patients without prescription plans – Apart from the uninsured, there are a lot of people whose insurance coverage may not pay for prescription drugs. This group is primarily made up of people who are on employer-sponsored health insurance. These people also pay a significant chunk of their income on prescription drugs and online Canadian pharmacies help them with lower prices.
- Health Savings Account holders – Apart from seniors and people without insurance, there is another group that often shops from online Canadian pharmacies. For instance, people who have Health Savings Accounts and health insurance, shop around for cheap prescription drugs. They use the HSA money to buy Canadian medication since it’s cheaper than many co-pay insurance options in the US.
- Price-sensitive consumers and those who prefer convenience – Online Canadian pharmacies have been getting bigger and better and it’s mostly due to price-sensitive consumers. Their larger network and economies of scale allow them to offer cheaper medicines even when compared to the local pharmacy.
For price-sensitive consumers saving a few dollars makes more sense than walking or driving to the local drug store. Moreover, there is a large majority of consumers who prefer convenience over everything else. If they can get their medicine by tapping the phone a few times in the comfort of their home, that’s obviously a better option.
Conclusion
Dr. Richard Nahas believes that every customer who buys from online Canadian pharmacies benefits, both in Canada and the US. However, the benefits are more felt in the US since drug prices are comparatively higher down south.
