The federal government is considering covering the costs of birth control and diabetes medication as part of a national pharmacare plan currently being negotiated between the NDP and the governing Liberals.NDP health critic Don Davies and Minister of Health Mark Holland listen to a question following an announcement on dental care on Monday, December 11, 2023 in Ottawa. The two MPs are the main negotiators on pharmacare legislation.
Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries provide free contraception. In France, residents aged 25 and over can get reimbursed for contraception. The introduction of pharmacare legislation was a condition the NDP set when it joined the federal Liberals in a supply-and-confidence agreement in 2022. The agreement sees New Democrats support the minority government on key votes in the House of Commons to stave off an early election, in exchange for movement on NDP policy priorities.
NDP health critic Don Davies has said that one of the last issues still outstanding in the bipartisan negotiations on pharmacare has to do with who pays for the medication — private and public insurers or the federal government as the sole price negotiator and buyer.Free medications produce overall health-care savings in Ontario trial, new study suggests