By Brian Owens, Reporter
Healthcare campaigners in New Brunswick are pushing the province to join the federal government’s national pharmacare plan, which would provide free coverage for contraceptives and diabetes medications.
Last month the NB Health Coalition, a campaign group supported by healthcare worker unions, community groups, and individual experts, submitted an open letter to the Legislative Assembly signed by 44 organizations calling on the province to finalize negotiations with the federal government on joining the plan. They followed that with a second letter to Premier Susan Holt and health minister John Dornan on Oct. 2 urging them to “act in the best interest of all New Brunswickers.”
“We want NB to sign a deal with Ottawa,” said Tracy Glynn, national director of projects and operations for the Canadian Health Coalition, who is based in Fredericton. “There is money on the table for four years to cover diabetes drugs and contraceptives.”
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives estimates that New Brunswick would likely receive around $136 million over four years from the federal government for pharmacare.
Glynn said that New Brunswickers are among those who stand to gain the most from joining the national plan. A poll by Environics last year found that 24 per cent of New Brunswickers polled said they are not filling or renewing their prescriptions, or they are making them last longer by skipping doses or splitting pills due to cost – the highest in Canada. And 27 per cent said they were hesitant about quitting or changing jobs because of worries about losing prescription drug coverage – also the highest in Canada.
Free contraceptives were a promise in the NB Liberal Party’s 2024 election campaign, and Dornan said in an email statement that the government remains committed to joining the federal plan at some point.
“Our government has always been committed to signing a pharmacare agreement. The voices calling for progress on this issue are clear and compelling. We remain dedicated to working toward a pharmacare solution that reflects the needs of our province and builds on the strengths of our existing system,” the statement read.
But Dornan told the NB Health Coalition and other activists at a meeting in September that the health insurance industry may respond to pharmacare in New Brunswick by eliminating private coverage for the diabetes drug Ozempic, according to Steve Staples, the Canadian Health Coalition’s national director of policy and advocacy, who was at the meeting.
That could significantly increase the number of people seeking coverage for Ozempic from New Brunswick’s provincial drug plan, Dornan said, which would lead to $60 million in additional costs.
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA), however, told The Courier that since Ozempic and other drugs like it, known as GLP-1 drugs, are not covered by the national plan, private insurers would continue to cover them in provinces that join the federal plan.
“The Pharmacare Act is clear that insurers cannot cover any drugs that are covered by single-payer government pharmacare,” Karen Leiva, a spokeswoman for the organization, said in an email. “However, in provinces that have signed deals with the Federal government to date, GLP-1 drugs are not covered by pharmacare. As such, insurers will continue to cover these drugs in all provinces and territories, including those with federal pharmacare.”
CLHIA has made this clear in meetings with provinces where pharmacare has already been or is going to be implemented, she added.
The fact that the NB Drug Plan provides limited coverage for Ozempic complicates things, she said, but in general the national plan should not affect access to the drug.
“There could be coverage through the province and a private plan may require that the claim first be assessed by the provincial plan for coverage. Others may not require this step and provide coverage, if eligible, right away,” said Levia.
The Department of Health did not respond to questions about why Dornan told campaigners that private insurers would end coverage for Ozempic, or where the $60 million figure came from.
An ‘unrealized dream’
The Pharmacare Act was passed in October 2024, and is “part of the unrealized dream of medicare” in Canada, said Glynn. Canada is the only country in the world with a universal health care system but no universal coverage for medication outside of hospitals. While the first phase of the plan is focused on diabetes and contraception, the goal is to expand it to other drugs and conditions in the future.
Prince Edward Island is one of four provinces and territories, along with British Columbia, Manitoba, and the Yukon, that have signed on to the federal plan so far. The province launched the program on May 1, with the federal government providing more than $30 million over the next four years to cover most contraceptives and diabetes medications, as well as expanded access to blood glucose test strips.
“Since launching the program, National Pharmacare has significantly improved access to essential medications,” PEI’s Department of Health and Wellness said in an email statement. “Over 5,000 Islanders have accessed free contraception, saving more than $500,000 in out-of-pocket costs, while over 20,000 people with diabetes have benefited from covered medications and supplies, saving more than $200,000 in out-of-pocket costs.”
B.C., which already has provincial coverage for contraception, reached an agreement that allowed for the additional funding of hormone replacement therapy.
Green Party leader David Coon said in a press release that it was “incomprehensible” that the government might limit pharmacare to contraceptives.
“Properly investing in diabetes medications and equipment will save lives, but it’s also a preventative measure that will benefit our healthcare system by keeping New Brunswickers healthier,” said Coon. “The Premier needs to step up and sign an agreement with the federal government for both diabetes medications and equipment, and contraception.”
