Canadian legislation passed, diabetes and contraceptives free into medical insurance!
The Pharmacy Bill in Canada was officially passed by the Senate last Thursday and received royal approval before being legislated.
This means that many people will soon be able to access more drugs, including basic drugs such as diabetes and contraception, which may cost hundreds or thousands of yuan every year. Meanwhile, agreements with various provinces are still under negotiation.
This legislation comes from the now terminated political agreement between the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party, which sets the framework for a future universal drug insurance plan.
Health Minister Mark Holland said in a press release last Friday, "Today is an extremely important day for pharmaceuticals, and it will be very difficult to pass this bill through the House and Senate
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Now Bill C-64 has become a law, which will guarantee the treatment of diabetes and contraceptive measures in the provinces that have reached agreements with the federal government.
Holland stated that this will provide free contraception for up to 9 million Canadian women and people of different genders, supporting reproductive freedom. At the same time, 3.7 million diabetes patients in Canada will receive drugs to reduce the risk of serious health complications and improve the quality of life.
Here is the information you need to know about the bill.
The legislation includes universal access to contraceptives and diabetes drugs, with the goal of expanding the number of insured drugs in the future. The government will pay the upfront fees. Covered diabetes drugs include priority treatment drugs to reduce blood sugar levels, such as insulin, metformin and basic treatment of other combination drugs.
The bill also covers the right of approximately 9 million Canadians of childbearing age to access contraceptive measures. The insured drugs include oral contraceptives, copper and hormonal intrauterine devices, injections, implants, intrauterine devices, and emergency contraceptives.
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Prime Minister Trudeau has urged provinces and regions to start negotiating drug security agreements as soon as possible, including payment and distribution plans, which are crucial for implementing the plan.
Trudeau told reporters last Friday, "This is real progress, but now we need provinces and territories to sit down with us and sign agreements to support Canadians as soon as possible and ease the pressure on their families' budgets
British Columbia has signed a memorandum of understanding to provide insurance for residents, but the underwriting methods in the province may differ from those in other places.
Federal insurance refers to contraceptives and diabetes drugs and consumables, but Adrian Dix, Director of British Columbia Health Department, said that oral contraceptives have been insured under provincial projects, so this part of the funds will be used to cover the cost of hormone replacement therapy for women.
The 2024 federal budget report shows that the first phase of the National Drug Security Program will cost $1.5 billion over five years, starting from fiscal year 2024-25.
The Congressional Budget Office (PBO) estimates that the incremental cost to the public sector (i.e. federal and provincial governments) is expected to be $11.2 billion (fiscal year 2024-25), taking into account expenditures from existing provincial drug programs, direct federal government spending, and co pay revenue from drug security programs, and will increase to $13.4 billion in fiscal year 2027-28
Health Minister Holland has stated that this is the first step in his plan to establish a universal drug insurance system across Canada. In the next month, Ottawa will convene a panel of experts to investigate the establishment of a comprehensive drug insurance plan. They will report their recommendations to the Minister of Health within one year.
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https://globalnews.ca/news/10807237/canada-pharmacare-plan-what-to-know/