The NDP says it has reached a deal with the Liberal government to introduce the first piece of a national pharmacare program that includes coverage for birth control and diabetes medication.
The deal is a critical piece of the supply-and-confidence agreement between the two parties and comes ahead of a March 1 deadline to table legislation. News of the deal was first reported by The Canadian Press on Friday.
An NDP source speaking on background to Global News confirmed the deal had been reached and that it “satisfies our end” of the supply-and-confidence pact.
Some final details may still be worked out over the weekend, but the source said the NDP expects the legislation will be tabled by the March 1 deadline.
A government source confirmed the deal had been reached and said more details would be announced next week.
The NDP says the deal includes full coverage for contraceptives close to what British Columbia covers, which includes birth control pills, IUDs and emergency contraception.
It also includes insulin for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, as well as additional diabetes drugs. The focus is on covering generics where there is an option to do so, the NDP source said. Ozempic, a new drug for diabetes that has been used off-label as a weight-loss drug, will not be covered under the agreement.
The deal also puts forward a fund to help provinces cover the cost of insulin pumps for diabetes patients, which the NDP wanted maximum coverage for, the source said.
The first deadline to reach a deal was pushed back in December, with both parties agreeing to extend it to March 1.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh had suggested failing to meet the March 1 deadline would result in “consequences” for the Liberals, but stopped short of saying his party would withdraw its support under the supply-and-confidence agreement.
Liberals had previously cited concerns about the potential costs of pharmacare, even as the NDP pushed for the program to include more right off the bat.
If the federal government moves towards fully implementing national pharmacare, that wider program is expected to cost roughly $40 billion a year in total, the parliamentary budget officer said in a report last fall.
However, such a program was also estimated to lead to cost savings on drug expenditures of $1.4 billion in 2024-25, with that figure increasing to $2.2 billion by 2027-28.
—With files from the Canadian Press
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