Prescription drug insurance - Which public or private plan to choose?

The first question to ask is whether you qualify for a private plan.

The private plan

Private prescription drug plans usually take the form of group insurance. A person may be eligible for a private plan through their employment, an association, a professional corporation of which they are a member or through their spouse or parents.

When you are eligible for a private plan, the law requires you to join, you have no choice!

The public system

If you do not have access to a private plan, you are required by law to enroll in the public plan, that is, the RAMQ. If you do not register, Revenu Québec will charge you the premium on your taxes.

How much does the public plan cost?

One cannot pay more than the monthly maximum of $83.83, which includes deductibles and co-insurance. A person who has reached their monthly limit can therefore get free medication for the rest of the month!

The maximum contribution for a year is therefore the maximum monthly contribution x 12 months + the annual premium, that is, $83.83 x 12 months + $611 = $1616.96.

I do not have access to a private plan. Is there a more advantageous option than the RAMQ?

Unfortunately, there is no personal private insurance to replace the public plan if you do not have access to a private plan through the various options mentioned above. There are private insurance complementary to that of the RAMQ, but that implies that you must be registered with the RAMQ!

This type of product is available through your financial security advisor.

The complementary insurance gives you the following advantages:

  • A more complete list of medications than that provided by the RAMQ
  • Dental insurance
  • Vision insurance
  • Hospitalization expenses not covered by the RAMQ (semi-private room, rehabilitation costs, etc.)
  • Health professionals (physiotherapist, occupational therapist, massage therapist, etc.)
  • When the prescription drug insurance option is taken out through complementary insurance, the latter reimburses the RAMQ deductible ($ 16.65 / month) in addition to 100% of the disbursement (co-insurance of 32.5%).

What you need to remember if you do not have access to private insurance is that the RAMQ covers the bare minimum in terms of services and healthcare. The complementary insurance thus allows you to have access to a more complete coverage to better protect you in the event of a health problem.

Do you have more questions about this? Contact one of our insurance experts.