Alberta intends to opt out of national pharmacare program: health minister
CTV
Alberta’s health minister said the province will be opting out of a national pharmacare program.
Alberta’s health minister said the province will be opting out of a national pharmacare program.
The federal NDP announced it reached a deal to table pharmacare framework legislation with the Liberals on Friday.
“If the federal government pursues a national pharmacare program, Alberta intends to opt out of the program, and to instead receive our full per capita share of that funding for deployment into our provincial health-care system," Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said Monday.
The deal would allow every Canadian with a health card to access free diabetes medication and birth control. Details of the national deal are expected when legislation is introduced this week.
Quebec has also said it intends to opt-out, and British Columbia and New Brunswick said they’re waiting for details before deciding whether to sign on.
The health minister said it should be up to provincial governments to decide how to run the program.
“We are not going to allow Ottawa to pick and choose what coverage should be available to Albertans based on issues they find politically palatable,” LaGrange said.
