New BrunswickThe Canadian Health Coalition is hopeful New Brunswick will become the fifth jurisdiction to sign on to a national pharmacare program, but the provincial government is signalling it has some reservations about switching to new coverage for diabetes drugs.Province worries national coverage plan falls short for diabetes patientsCBC News · Posted: Sep 17, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: September 17New Brunswick says Ottawa’s coverage for diabetes medications has raised questions about whether the province should sign on to the national pharmacare program. (Reed Saxon/The Associated Press)The Canadian Health Coalition is hopeful New Brunswick will become the fifth jurisdiction to sign on to a national pharmacare program, but the provincial government is signalling it has some reservations about switching to new coverage for diabetes drugs.”We continue to be interested in finding a solution with Ottawa on diabetes support … without disrupting the stability of coverage people rely on today,” said an emailed statement from Health Minister John Dornan.To launch the pharmacare program, the federal government is offering agreements to cover the cost of contraceptives and some diabetes medications.So far, only P.E.I., Manitoba, the Yukon and B.C. have signed on. Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed last week that his government is committed to getting the other provinces and territories on board.”We were pleased to hear Prime Minister Carney recommit to funding pharmacare,” said Dornan.”We share the calls from many groups for greater affordability and access to medications.”Dornan’s statement indicated New Brunswick is all for federally funded universal contraception access. He said the provincial government requested that from Ottawa before the federal election and it would fulfil a commitment the Holt Liberals made in the provincial election.When it comes to diabetes coverage, however, he suggested the national plan would fall short.”We believe the best way forward is for the federal government to invest alongside our government into the strengths of our existing system, rather than replace it with a one-size-fits-all model,” Dornan said.Part of the problem is that some diabetes drugs, including Ozempic, would not be on the list of federally covered medications, said Steve Staples, national director of policy and advocacy for the Canadian Health Coalition.Steve Staples of the Canadian Health Coalition says there’s wiggle room for provinces that want to negotiate pharmacare coverage with Ottawa for specific medications. (Submitted by Steve Staples)The coalition is a group of about 20 organizations, mostly funded by front-line health care worker unions, he said. It’s in favour of pharmacare, and Staples met yesterday with Dornan and other Liberal MLAs from the Saint John area.”I think that the New Brunswick government … is worried that the insurance companies will also reduce their coverage of things like Ozempic, forcing New Brunswickers to move over to the public plan for their Ozempic. And that would increase the costs to the provincial government.”Staples isn’t convinced that New Brunswick’s diabetes coverage is better than what the federal government is offering. More medications may be covered, he said, but only to those who meet certain criteria.Even if the coverage doesn’t go as far for certain drugs, the province would still be getting more funding that could free up room in its health budget, he added.”I think New Brunswick can get a good deal,” said Staples, suggesting there may be some wiggle room when negotiating for coverage of certain drugs.In B.C., which had prior provincial coverage for contraception, an agreement was reached that allowed for the additional funding of hormone replacement therapy, he pointed out.Staples is adamant, though, that the agreement should be for universal coverage.”It’s not a national program if we just create a patchwork,” he said.Jean-Claude Basque of the New Brunswick Health Coalition says a substantial fraction of patients in the province aren’t taking their diabetes medications because they can’t afford them. (Submitted by Jean-Claude Basque)New Brunswick’s drug plan has annual premiums of $60 to $2,700 dollars, plus co-pays, depending on a person’s income, said Jean-Claude Basque, co-chair of the New Brunswick Health Coalition.A number of people don’t have any coverage, he said, making an example of a couple who both have diabetes and are self-employed. They pay about $5,000 a year for Blue Cross insurance, he said, and they have additional costs for test strips and monitoring devices.A survey by the Canadian Health Coalition found one in four people were not filling or renewing their prescriptions because of the cost, said Basque.If people get the medications they need, it will save money in the health-care system on hospital visits, he said.Diabetes Canada projects cases of the disease will increase by 30 per cent in the next 10 years, he noted.”We need to sign this deal,” said Basque.
As N.B. mulls signing on to national pharmacare, concerns linger about diabetes drug coverage
