The Oxford English Dictionary defines the verb to pool as “to throw into a common stock or fund, to be distributed according to agreement; to combine (capital or interests) for the common benefit . . . to share or divide”.
Under the basic drug insurance plan in Quebec, pooling means that group insurers and employee benefit plan administrators providing coverage for the cost of medications share a portion of the cost of the claims they have paid out. This portion of the claims is the amount for an individual and his dependents (family) that exceeds a pre-determined threshold (the “threshold per certificate”).
Pooling is done according to terms and conditions that are revised each year and communicated to the Health and Social Services Minister.