P.E.I.'s new $30M pharmacare deal will cover diabetes medication, birth control

The federal government has announced more than $30 million over four years to help pay for diabetes medication and supplies and contraceptives for Prince Edward Islanders. 

The details of the deal aren't clear, but the province said the new money will cover 18 drugs for diabetes, as well expand coverage for test strips used to measure a diabetic person's blood sugar.

The federal government said there will be no copays under P.E.I.'s system but provincial officials said on Friday that some small copays will remain.

"We know when people get the medicine they need, they don't get sick," federal Health Minister Mark Holland said at a Charlottetown event marking the deal. "That's the health system we need." 

P.E.I. is the third province to sign up under the federal government's newest pharmacare program.

The deal will come into effect on the Island on May 1, 2025. 

Coverage of diabetes medication and contraceptives were "two logical places to start," said Holland. 

More than 17,000 Islanders were living with diagnosed diabetes in 2024, and there are many more without a diagnosis, according to Diabetes Canada. 

Out-of-pocket costs for diabetes treatments can range from $867 to $6,085 per year. 

"When you properly manage diabetes, it means you don't get other types of illnesses and you don't get sicker, so it really is a logical place to start," Holland said. 

As for contraceptives, the federal health minister said it is essential that women have autonomy over their own bodies. 

"To me, that's an issue of fundamental freedom," he said. 

The announcement on Friday was timely, coming just before International Women's Day on Saturday, said Jenn Redmond, P.E.I.'s minister responsible for the status of women. 

"Everyone deserves a right to make informed decisions around their health and their bodies," said Redmond.