Statistics Canada has published new research examining prescription drug insurance coverage, medication needs and non-adherence to prescription medications due to cost within the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations in Canada.  

It found that non-Status First Nations people living off reserve, 23 per cent, were nearly twice as likely to report having no prescription insurance coverage in the year prior to the survey being conducted, compared to just 12 per cent of Status First Nations people living off reserve who said the same. The research similarly looks at the same for Métis and Inuit living in the provinces in 2021.  

“Lack of access to prescription insurance has been linked to adverse health impacts, particularly for marginalized populations who experience a higher burden of pre-existing conditions and inadequate access to healthcare,” Statistics Canada’s researchers write in the report, Access to prescription insurance and medication use during the COVID-19 pandemic among First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit in the provinces, 2021.  

They say the research was conducted because the topic had previously been examined in the provinces for the general Canadian population and among racialized and immigrant subpopulations, but not among Indigenous groups.  

Among the detailed findings, the report states that 74 per cent of First Nations people living off reserve had full-year prescription insurance coverage, which was about 10 per cent higher than for Métis (63 per cent), Inuit (65 per cent) and non-Indigenous people (64 per cent). Those with less than full-year prescription insurance coverage were nearly three times more likely to stop taking their medications due to cost. “This trend remained after adjusting for other factors,” they add.  

Medications for cardiovascular issues were the most commonly reported type being used across both Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. Across Indigenous groups, more than one in four used medications to treat mental health conditions, almost 10 per cent higher than usage reported by non-Indigenous people. 

Overall, they say one in five Métis, Inuit and non-Status First Nations people living off reserve had no prescription insurance coverage.