Two provinces have implemented Pharmacare this year, two more jurisdictions are preparing to implement it and the rest of the country does not know if Ottawa still intends to subsidize some medications prescribed for them.
National Pharmacare can become a regional privilege that is granted only to four of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada.
The Minister of Health, Marjorie Michel, raised suspicions that Ottawa would abandon the future pharmaceutical agreements when he said in July that Canada has “a new government” and the country is “in a new context.”
They had asked him why the conversations were not progressing.
The minister was not available for an interview this week, but Michel’s office repeated previous statements when he said that the government would “protect” the four agreements with BC, Manitoba, Pei and Yukon, a language that the liberals used in the recent electoral campaign. His office would not comment on the state of outstanding offers.
But in the two provinces where National Pharmacare is operating, early yields seem promising.
Most eligible drugs
The PEI program covers most contraceptives and diabetes medications, as well as expanded access to blood glucose test strips. It entered into force in May.
For many patients, the biggest difference is the elimination of small co -payments that had to provide for each recharge through private private or pharmaceutical insurance, said Erin Mackenzie, executive director of the PEI pharmaceutical association.
“When you tell someone who doesn’t have to pay anything, they are happy,” Mackenzie said.
The other advantage of federal funds is that drugs become eligible for coverage, he said.
In some cases, that allows patients to simplify their medication regime to a medicine instead of two or more, Mackenzie said.
But there have also been challenges.
Pharmacists have had to adjust billing information, but only for certain medications eligible for federal funds.
“When you are doing it, we will say 200 to 500 recipes a day, it is no longer a perfect process,” Mackenzie said.
Some insurers drop coverage
And some private insurers have eliminated drugs now covered by Ottawa from the list of medicines they pay, he said.
This will not affect most patients, but Mackenzie said there is a risk of complications. For example, a student from the University of Pei who studies outside the province would have to visit a PEI pharmacy to be covered for a medication eliminated by their parents’ insurance.
Britt Kural with Pharmacists Manitoba said he encountered similar problems. Understand that some Manitobans, already covered by the Federal Public Drug Benefits Program, are having trouble accessing their medicine through National Pharmacare.
But in general, she said that most patients are better.
Pharmacare de Manitoba requires that some pay a deductible based on their income. The federal program results in great savings, said Kural.
In the three and a half months since Federal Federal began operating in Manitoba, he has supported 139,000 people, the province said. It also includes coverage for hormonal replacement therapy and HIV prevention medications (PREP and PEP).
Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said some of those people are receiving certain medications for the first time.
Before Federal Pharmacare, medical suppliers “knew that their patients could not pay it, and now they can have open conversations,” said Asagwara.
Until now, Health Canada has paid $ 26 million to Manitoba and $ 3 million to PEI to cover these medications.
Since the federal government assumes the cost, Mackenzie said that provincial governments and private insurers are saving an incalculable amount of money.
“I’m glad we could sign that agreement before the elections,” said Asagwara.
Implementation of the Yukon Agreement Delayed
Two other pharmacutical agreements, which also provide universal coverage for diabetes medicines and prescribed birth control, will enter into force next year.
Yukon’s program is “on the way” to start in March 2026, a territorial spokesman said. The bilateral agreement, signed last March, indicated that the agreement would begin as of January.
The spokesman added that the territory “continues to relate to federal officials” to “guarantee its successful implementation in the Yukón.”
The BC agreement, which also includes hormonal treatment for menopause, is also scheduled to begin next March.
A universal contraceptive defender in Ontario wants inequality in coverage.
“We are the largest province in this country by population,” said Elizabeth Thompson, defense leader for contraception.
She said “seems outrageous” that Ontario still doesn’t have a deal “because we have more to win.”
His province, together with Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Terranova and Labrador, Nueva Scotia, New Brunswick, Nunavut and Northwest territories, they still do not have agreements with the federals.
At the provincial and territorial level, there is already a form of pharmacist throughout Canada. But what is covered, who is eligible and how much cost varies. The Federal Pharmacare program was launched as part of a supply and confidence agreement with the NDP, with the intention of finally providing universal drug coverage nationwide.
Thompson expects the federal government to return to the table after feeling some public pressure.
“[Prime Minister Mark Carney] He knows it will be a victory for his government, “said Thompson.
