Minister gives thumbs up to Ottawa plan
Mclane says plan to cover diabetes medication, contraception already underway here
P.E.I.’S health minister says he welcomes the federal government’s pharmacare initiative, saying plans to fund diabetes and contraception medications are in line with programs already being pursued by the Dennis King government.
On Feb. 29, federal Health Minister Mark Holland tabled Bill C-64 in the House of Commons, a bill that he said would be a “first phase” of a national pharmacare program. The bill, which resulted from a deal reached between the federal NDP and Liberals after years of negotiation, will also see the federal government provide universal, single-payer funding for diabetes medications and for contraception.
P.E.I. already provides universal funding for diabetes medication and for equipment like insulin pumps and glucose sensors, although the province’s plan does involve co-pays. The province has also committed to reducing the cost of contraceptives under its health strategy for women and conducted a survey earlier this year about cost barriers for contraception access.
On March 1, P.E.I. Health Minister Mark Mclane said he welcomed Ottawa’s plans to cover diabetes and contraception medication.
“We've always had a great relationship with them, and those two classes of drugs are something we've been working on anyway,” Mclane told reporters on March 1.
“And we do have a universal diabetes drug program and the contraception plan was in the works for this year as well. So, we align very well.”
Mclane’s statement was in contrast to the response from the governments of Alberta and Quebec, which have signalled an unwillingness to participate in the federal pharmacare program.
The pharmacare bill has not yet passed through the House of Commons. Once it does, Ottawa will need to negotiate bilateral agreements with each province.
P.E.I. and Ottawa have
already worked together on reducing costs of prescription drugs. A $35-million agreement, which the province says reduced co-pays for 60 per cent of the commonly prescribed medications in the province, has been in place between the two levels of government since last summer.
P.E.I. PASSES ‘LAST RESORT’ BILL
P.E.I.’S legislature looks set to pass legislation in advance of the new pharmacare plan.
The bill, an amendment to the province’s Drug Cost Assistance Act, allows the province to be the “payor of last resort.”
Once it becomes law, this would allow the province to receive payments for drug coverage under the federal government’s planned pharmacare program. It will also allow the P.E.I. government to cover additional costs that may not be covered under either private insurance or under Ottawa’s plan.
Mclane said this would allow P.E.I. to cover costs for medications, including diabetes medication or contraception, that may not be covered under the federal government’s new plan.
“There may be gaps that we may wish to fill that maybe the universal program doesn't cover,” Mclane told reporters.
“So, again, it gives us the ability to step in and fill gaps when we deem it necessary."
The amendment passed second reading in the P.E.I. legislature on Feb. 28.
It is not yet clear exactly what overlap there will be between what P.E.I. already covers and what the federal government will cover in terms for those living with diabetes.
The province does provide varying levels of coverage for insulin pumps and for glucose monitoring devices. But copays for these devices vary depending on income and on whether one has private insurance. Other diabetes medication may be covered by the P.E.I. government, but some may not be covered if it is not listed on the province’s formulary.
The federal government has said it plans to cover the cost of insulin, which can cost between $900 and $1,700 a year depending on dosage requirements. A press release from the federal government also said medication used by individuals with type 2 diabetes, such as Metformin and SGLT-2 inhibitors, would also be covered.
In terms of contraceptives, the federal government has released a list of contraceptives “to be discussed with provinces and territories” for coverage.
This included birth control pills, intrauterine devices (IUDS), hormonal implants and emergency contraceptives like Plan B.