Prescription birth control will soon be free in B.C. Here's what you need to know
CBC
British Columbia is soon to become the first jurisdiction in Canada to make prescription birth control free to its residents.
Here's what you need to know — from what's covered to who's covered.
Starting April 1, the province said it will cover the following prescription contraceptives:
Free prescription contraception will also be made available to men, including trans men.
Vasectomies have already been covered for years by B.C. MSP, or the Medical Services Plan.
Condoms are available over the counter and were not included in the list of covered products.
Birth control will still not be available over the counter.
The Ministry of Health may eventually look at covering other contraceptive products, like vaginal rings and transdermal patches in the future, but as of now, they are not covered.
WATCH | Period Poverty Task Force's Nikki Hill discusses the impact of free contraceptives:
The province said residents covered by MSP will initially need to take a prescription from a family doctor to a pharmacist to have the prescription filled starting in April.
As early as May, residents will be able to skip the family doctor step: they should be able to get a prescription straight from a pharmacist once their scope of practice expands.
No. According to the Ministry of Finance, this new policy is not retroactive and will only apply to prescriptions filled after April 1, 2023.
No, but you must be a resident covered by MSP — meaning Canadians from other provinces or territories cannot travel to B.C. to access free contraception.
The province said it's offering free contraception to make sure that money isn't a barrier for women, transgender and non-binary people to make choices about their own sexual and reproductive health.
