Fraser Valley/Victoria – In a ceremony in Victoria, the Honourable Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health, and the Honourable Josie Osborne, British Columbia’s (BC) Minister of Health, announced the signing of a pharmacare agreement to invest more than $670 million over four years to provide universal access to contraceptive and diabetes medications, devices and supplies for residents of BC.
The hitch is when approved, it does not start until March 2026.
Through this agreement, BC residents will receive public coverage for a range of contraceptives and diabetes medications at little to no cost. The funding from this agreement will also improve access to diabetes devices and supplies. This will support the reproductive freedom of more than 1.3 million British Columbians and ensure that nearly 550,000 British Columbians with diabetes can access essential medications – reducing their risk of serious health complications and improving their quality of life.
Disclaimer – FVN News Director Don Lehn is a Type Two Diabetic, so he is biased when it comes to benefits. He lost a baby toe due to diabetes complications in the Spring of 2023.
As part of agreement, BC will also enhance pharmacare coverage for its residents by providing free public coverage of hormone replacement therapy to treat menopausal symptoms for all residents. This additional coverage is a significant step toward improving health care for women and gender diverse people throughout their lifetimes.
In 2021, Statistics Canada found that one in five adults in Canada did not have the insurance they needed to cover their medication costs.
According to an Options for Sexual Health study (2010), every $1 spent on access to contraception can save as much as $90 in government spending.
In 2022, Diabetes Canada determined that out-of-pocket costs were as high as $18,306 per year for people living with Type 1 diabetes and as high as $10,014 per year for those living with Type 2 diabetes.
BC residents can anticipate beginning to receive coverage for these products in March 2026.
