More Plan Sponsors Eye The Canadian Connection

“What! I thought It was The French Connection!”

county government in New York has been accessing Canadian prescription drugs through their self-funded health plan since 2004 with savings in the millions of dollars. Now we see more employers considering the same by moving away from traditional Predatory Business Models (PBM’s) as drug prices reach unaffordable levels in this country.

The Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) lists Canadian pharmacies active in fulfilling the prescription needs of American citizens.

You will find the complete list of safe online pharmacy websites that meet the safety and privacy standards of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association here.

“Every CIPA member exhibits exceptional standards of quality and adherence to all regulatory requirements set out by the national and/or regional regulatory bodies that license the pharmacies (also known as chemists or dispensaries in some countries).”

“Qualifying websites must meet all CIPA standards of practice, as well as undergo and pass regular on-site inspections and standards of practice audits.”

Most if not all of these websites have drug search capabilities with pricing.

All of these Canadian pharmacies ship to the USA. Seems like a pretty simple, straightforward process.

In order for this to work for self-funded plans in the United States there has to be a payment mechanism wherein the pharmacy bills the plan sponsor or TPA. RiskManagers.us has that figured out. Others have too. It’s not rocket science.

Self-funded plans exploring this option must understand importation is made possible under the Personal Use Doctrine (A personal use importation is a product not for further sale or distribution into U.S. commerce.  These products may be carried in baggage or shipped by courier or international mail).

If you are a plan sponsor and want to know how much your plan can save with Canadian prescription drugs based on your last year’s Rx spend, contact RiskManager@RiskManagers.us