About national pharmacare
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Overview
The Government of Canada is working with our partners to help you get the medications you need. Together we're aiming to improve:
- accessibility
- affordability
- appropriate use
- universal coverage
We've signed funding agreements with 4 provinces and territories to make a range of contraception (birth control) and diabetes medications free at the pharmacy counter. You may still have to pay other fees, like delivery fees or prescribing fees. However, the costs of different contraceptives and diabetes medications will be generally paid for publicly. This means you won't need to coordinate benefits for covered products with private insurance plans.
Private and public drug plans will still cover a range of products outside the contraceptives and diabetes medications included in pharmacare bilateral agreements.
Find out what's covered by national pharmacare in your area.
The Pharmacare Act outlines our commitment to work with provincial and territorial partners towards national pharmacare.
As set out in the act, we have:
- received advice from a committee of experts on how to operate and finance national pharmacare
- received advice from Canada's Drug Agency on:
- a national bulk purchasing strategy
- a list of essential prescription drugs and related products
- published a pan-Canadian strategy to promote appropriate use of prescription drugs and related products
Diabetes
About 3.8 million people in Canada have been diagnosed with diabetes. In 2018, costs to the healthcare system related to diabetes were estimated at $27 billion, and they could surpass $39 billion by 2028.
If you have diabetes and live in a province or territory with a pharmacare agreement, you'll generally have free access to medications like:
- Metformin, which can cost about $100 per year
- Insulin, which can cost between $900 and $1,700 per year
- Sulfonylureas and SGLT-2 inhibitors, which can cost from $100 to over $1,000 per year
The pharmacare agreements we've signed with provinces and territories will also help you access the supplies you need to:
- administer your medication, such as insulin pumps and syringes
- manage and monitor your condition, such as glucose monitors and test strips
Find out if your diabetes medication is covered by national pharmacare.
Contraception
Pharmacare agreements with provinces and territories will give people in Canada reproductive freedom and better access to contraception. If you live in a province or territory with a pharmacare agreement, you'll generally have free access to a variety of contraceptive drugs and devices, such as:
- oral contraceptives
- copper and hormonal IUDs
- rings
- implants
- injections
This variety means that you'll be able to choose the contraception that best suits your medical needs and personal circumstances.
Find out if your contraception is covered by pharmacare.
What's next
Our objective is to "learn by doing" in a Canadian context. We'll base discussions about the future on what we learn as we implement existing pharmacare agreements. We'll also use lessons learned from other initiatives, such as the:
- National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases
- Improving Affordable Access to Prescription Drugs initiative with Prince Edward Island
Related links
- Pharmacare bilateral agreements
- National Pharmacare Committee of Experts
- Government of Canada Passes Legislation for a First Phase of National Universal Pharmacare
- Backgrounder: Universal Access to Contraception
- Backgrounder: Universal Access to Diabetes Medications, and Diabetes Device Fund for Devices and Supplies
Technical resources
- A Prescription for Action: A Pan-Canadian Strategy for Advancing the Appropriate Use of Prescription Medications
- Advice on a National Bulk Purchasing Strategy for Prescription Drugs and Related Products
- Preparing an Essential Prescription Drugs and Related Products List: A Report From the Advisory Panel
- Report of the National Pharmacare Committee of Experts
- Letter to the President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada's Drug Agency