CPR Working Paper Series No. 17

Pharmaceuticals and the Elderly:
A Comparative Analysis

Deborah A. Freund, Don Willison, Grant D. Reeher,
Bernie O'Brien, Jarold Cosby, and Amy Ferraro

March 2000

Abstract:  This paper compares and contrasts outpatient pharmaceutical policies for the elderly in seven OECD nations: Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each country is facing an increasing financial burden due to rapidly growing numbers of elderly citizens, in number and as a percentage of population, and rising drug costs. As a result, they are struggling to balance varying levels of commitment to providing drugs for the elderly with the need to contain costs. Although each country's healthcare systems are unique, the methods that each country is using to control rising pharmaceutical costs are similar. Many countries are gravitating towards the use of last-dollar rather than first-dollar coverage. All provide inpatient pharmaceutical coverage.

You can download a PDF version of the paper and view it and print it using a FREE copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Click here for the Adobe Acrobat version of CPR Working Paper 17

Or
for more information on ordering a hard copy of this paper, please contact the Publications Officer, Center for Policy Research, 426 Eggers Hall, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244-1020 or e-mail our Publications Officer at puboff@maxwell.syr.edu. Each hard copy costs $5.00 (US) and payment should be included with mail order.

File current as of

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the webmaster.