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‘We want to work with you on a system that will make sure that everyone in Alberta can access diabetes medication and contraceptives on a prescription basis,’ said Trudeau
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Ottawa is open to working with Alberta on a tailored plan for pharmacare, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated during a visit to Calgary on Wednesday.
The prime minister, who met with Premier Danielle Smith, said the national plan would vary for each province, but didn’t provide details.
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The proposed program — part of a supply-and-confidence agreement between the Liberals and NDP announced March 1 — would offer free coverage of diabetes and contraceptive medication, and could be the first step in encompassing a much broader variety of drugs.
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If passed, Ottawa would negotiate a funding commitment with provinces to implement the program.
Alberta has said it would opt out of the national program, even though details haven’t been released.
Instead, the UCP government demanded the federal government provide equivalent funding for existing provincial plans.
On Wednesday, Trudeau and Smith discussed several priorities, including energy issues, the pharmacare program and dental care.
He later visited SAIT to speak about Ottawa’s efforts to expand dental care.
When asked about Alberta’s stated opposition to the pharmacare plan, Trudeau said he’s working on a solution.
“What I said to (Smith) is, ‘Look, we want to work with you on a way that makes sense for you — that will be different from B.C., different from Quebec, different from Ontario, different from P.E.I.,” Trudeau said.
“But we want to work with you on a system that will make sure that everyone in Alberta can access diabetes medication and contraceptives on a prescription basis.”
Smith hopes to find ‘common ground’
The first phase of the plan will cost approximately $1.5 billion, federal Health Minister Mark Holland has said. The annual bill for a single taxpayer program that includes all medications is estimated by the Parliamentary Budget Officer to be $40 billion.
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Holland has underscored Ottawa’s commitment to “full coverage” to ensure every Canadian can access their medication. However, tailoring the program for people without insurance or strengthening provincial drug coverage plans are also being considered.
Smith said Wednesday that she reiterated the province’s desire to address the number of Albertans not covered by any plan, adding about one-quarter of Albertans are without pharmaceutical coverage.
“We can work together on having 100 per cent coverage of the 5,000 drugs that we currently cover, and then expand the formularies across the country so that there is some consistency. I think we can find some common ground on that,” Smith told reporters in Edmonton.
Many Albertans without coverage
Alberta currently has three main drug coverage programs for people with low incomes who aren’t covered by their employer — Alberta Adult Health Benefit, Alberta Child Health Benefit, and Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH).
To qualify for the first two, the household income of four (one couple and two children) has to be lower than $36,325. In a province where the poverty line for a family of four is at $55,771, the income threshold leaves many without coverage.
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Those left out by the programs can opt for a non-group coverage program administered by Alberta Blue Cross. The monthly premium for a family is $118, and they are expected to pay 30 per cent of medication costs to a maximum of $25.
Seniors older than 65 are exempt from paying the premium, and a household of four with an income lower than $39,250 is eligible to pay a discounted premium of $82.60, but are still required to shoulder 30 per cent of the cost of their medication.
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NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Smith is mistaking insurance plans for free coverage.
“She’s confusing free coverage of a few drugs, which absolutely needs to be more, with costly private coverage that people pay for out of pocket,” she said.
“Alberta does not have 75 per cent coverage of drugs. Albertans pay out of pocket for that coverage in one form or more, and she is suggesting that somehow that’s equal to free coverage of diabetes and contraceptive medication.”
Trudeau also announced Wednesday that 1.3 million seniors over age 70 across the country have enrolled in the dental care program, and the federal government is expecting more to register as it lowers the age criteria to 65 in May.
But when asked about dentists’ concerns about remuneration and additional paperwork, he said the federal government hasn’t decided on a fee structure.
“But the ballpark we’re in actually looks like the federal system will be of greater benefit than some of the provincial systems for some vulnerable groups that compensate dentists for services.”
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