Provincial Pharmacare Update: Changes to Public Drug Coverage
The federal government’s new National Pharmacare program is now being implemented in select provinces through bilateral agreements. These programs introduce universal, single-payer coverage for certain prescription medications.
The following provinces and territories have signed agreements and confirmed their implementation timelines:
| Province or Territory | Start Date | What’s covered |
| Manitoba | April 15, 2025 | Certain contraceptives, diabetes medications, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and HIV prevention and treatment. (Note: The HIV medications and contraceptives were already covered under previous provincial programs.) |
| Prince Edward Island | May 1, 2025 | Certain contraceptives and diabetes medications |
| Yukon | January 1, 2026 | Certain contraceptives and diabetes medications |
| British Columbia | March 1, 2026 | Certain contraceptives, diabetes medications, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). (Note: The contraceptives were already covered under previous provincial programs.) |
Members who live in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island will be impacted first, as public coverage becomes available in these areas. We will continue to monitor developments and keep you informed of any changes to implementation dates or when additional provinces sign on to the program.
What you and your plan members need to know
- There is no change to their plan coverage at this time. However, where public Pharmacare provides full coverage for a medication, their Medavie Blue Cross plan will coordinate with the public plan. Coverage through Medavie Blue Cross will continue for medications not included in the public Pharmacare program.
- Eligible members in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island will now be covered for these medications through their provincial Pharmacare program. Pharmacists are responsible for billing the public plan for these drugs first.
- For plan members already stabilized on medications that require special authorization under their provincial Pharmacare plan, Medavie Blue Cross will continue coverage during a transition period to maintain uninterrupted care. We will review this approach regularly, based on how well the public plans are processing prior authorization requests, to determine the appropriate timing for ending the transition period.
- For plan members initiating treatment on medications that require special authorization under the provincial Pharmacare plan, prescribers will need to work with the public program to access coverage where available.
- We are actively monitoring claims to ensure eligible claims are directed appropriately to the public plan.
Next steps
No action is required at this time. Impacted members who need to take further action (such as those currently taking a drug that requires special authorizations with Pharmacare) will be contacted directly. Otherwise, members simply need to fill their prescriptions as usual, and pharmacists will ensure eligible medications are billed through the public plan.
To support you in communicating this update with your plan members, we have developed a member notice for residents of Prince Edward Island:
