BC PharmaCare Plan NP (National Pharmacare plan)

This page has information about BC Pharmacare's Plan NP.

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On this page

• What to know
• How it works
• What is covered
  • Diabetes medications
  • Menopausal hormone therapy
  • Contraceptives
• Background

What to know

The BC PharmaCare National Pharmacare plan (Plan NP) launched on March 1, 2026.

Plan NP covers many diabetes medications, menopause hormone therapy medications and contraceptives for all B.C. residents enrolled in MSP.

Coverage is automatic at the pharmacy. You do not need to register or submit receipts.

To be eligible for Plan NP coverage:

• You must be a B.C. resident enrolled in BC Medical Services Plan (MSP)
• The prescription must be dispensed in B.C.

Plan NP is a provincial plan, administered in B.C. It is supported with federal funding.

Plan NP does not cover people from other provinces or dispenses in other provinces.

How it works

B.C. residents must be enrolled in MSP to be eligible.

If you have applied and your MSP coverage is not yet active, a pharmacist can help you get exceptional Plan NP coverage in the meantime.

Coverage is provided automatically at the pharmacy counter, as with other BC PharmaCare plans. You do not need to register for coverage or submit receipts.

For coverage:

1. Present a prescription for a covered medication and your BC Services Card at a B.C. pharmacy. A prescription is not needed for insulins.
2. The pharmacist processes the prescription and provides your medication. For fully covered items, you pay nothing.

Plan NP dispenses do not count towards the Fair PharmaCare deductible or family maximum.

Note that some medications require Special Authority approval.

What is covered

Plan NP covers the full cost of many diabetes medications, contraceptives and menopausal hormone therapy (MHT).

Some medications are partially covered. A pharmacist or prescriber can often change a partially covered prescription (i.e., brand name) to an equally safe and effective product that is 100% covered (i.e., generic) under the Low Cost Alternative (LCA) program.

For diabetes medications (saxagliptin, linagliptin and pioglitazone), your prescriber must submit a Special Authority (SA) request for coverage. The SA request must be approved before you fill your prescription to receive coverage. Track SA requests at Health Gateway.

Plan NP provides coverage of specific medications. The medications are covered regardless of why they were prescribed.

If BC PharmaCare previously helped pay for your diabetes medications, and they are now covered by Plan NP, they may have 100% coverage. Some may no longer require Special Authority for coverage.

Diabetes medications

Plan NP covers 100% of the cost of these diabetes medications:

• Insulins
• Metformin
• Glyburide
• Gliclazide
• Dapagliflozin
• Empagliflozin
• Empagliflozin with metformin

These diabetes medications require Special Authority for coverage:

• Linagliptin
• Linagliptin with metformin
• Pioglitazone
• Saxagliptin
• Saxagliptin with metformin

Your health provider applies for Special Authority for you if you meet the criteria for coverage.

The SA request must be approved before you fill your prescription to receive coverage. Track SA requests at Health Gateway.

You can find the full list of covered diabetes medications at Plan NP diabetes medications.

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT)

Plan NP covers 100% of the cost of these menopause hormone therapy medications (MHTs):

• Oral conjugated estrogen
• Oral medroxyprogesterone
• Oral micronized progesterone
• Vaginal estrogen
• Topical estrogen and estrogen/progesterone (gels & patches)
• Oral estradiol

MHT was previously called hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

You can find the full list of covered menopausal hormone therapy medications at Plan NP menopausal hormone therapy.

Contraceptives

Plan NP covers 100% of the cost of versions of these contraceptives:

• Most prescription contraceptive pills
• Intrauterine devices (IUDs) – hormonal and copper
• Hormonal implant
• Hormonal vaginal rings
• Contraceptive injection
• Emergency contraception (no prescription needed)

For more information on contraceptives covered by Plan NP, visit Free contraceptives.

Background

The Province of B.C. and the Government of Canada signed an agreement on March 6, 2025, for federal funding for medication and medical device and supply coverage in B.C., with the federal government providing up to $670 million in funding over three years. The agreement is an outcome of the 2024 Pharmacare Act.

The federal government contributes funding for Plan NP and extended coverage of some diabetes devices and supplies.

Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon also signed national pharmacare agreements in 2025. The federal government contributes funding for national pharmacare but the programs are administered by the provinces and territory.