Save Hundreds on Your Medications with Pharmacare (Manitoba)
Your medications may not need to be as expensive; Pharmacare can heavily subsidize those costs!
Updated • read
Table of Contents
If you’re not on insurance, medications can get expensive. Essential medications you may rely on, such as certain SSRIs, or stimulant medications such as Vyvanse, can eat away at your wallet, and can become inaccessible for individuals under the poverty line.
This was especially true on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, on , Manitoba introduced the Manitoba Enhanced Pharmacare Program (MEPP), which among medications for birth control, diabetes, HIV, also covers some HRT medications.
Before that date, on 6 mg of oral estradiol (roughly the highest oral dosage you’ll get), this will cost roughly $150 Canadian dollars. This will get you 270 tablets, which lasts for 90 days.
Over a a span of that year, this would cost you roughly $690! That’s a lot of money.
Luckily, you can save yourself a significant amount of money (and possibly get money back!) with the original Manitoba Pharmacare Program. The cost of an anti-androgen/testosterone blocker, like cyproterone or spironolactone, isn’t covered by the enhanced pharmacare program. Cyproterone for 90 days costs roughly $20.
What’s Pharmacare?
Section titled What%E2%80%99s%20Pharmacare%3FPharmacare is a drug benefit program, where you pay some of the costs of medications, and the Manitoba government will cover the rest.
If you’re low income, you’ll likely get a $100 deductible. This means that if your medication costs total $500 a year, you will pay $100, and then the Manitoba government will pay the rest. This means you would save $400!
Only certain medications qualify for Pharmacare coverage, but most medications your doctor or nurse practitioner may prescribe you generally are covered. They may also be able to answer if a certain medication is covered. Pharmacare usually does not cover over-the-counter (OTC) meds.
Dispensing fees to a certain extent may also not be covered. See FAQ: Frequency of Dispensing for more details.
Who qualifies?
Section titled Who%20qualifies%3FAccording to the Manitoba Government website, you qualify for the Manitoba Pharmacare program if you meet all of the following criteria:
- You are eligible for Manitoba Health coverage
- Your prescriptions are not covered by other provincial or federal programs
How to apply
Section titled How%20to%20applyYou’ll need to print out the Pharmacare Application and Consent Authorization Form. You can print this out at a public library for some cost. Alternatively, you have a meeting with a peer supporter at Klinic, and have them help you fill and mail this form the whole way through.
The Pharmacare application form
In the form, check Option A; the One Time Program Enrolment.
By choosing the one time program enrolment, you can simply set it and forget it. There’s no reason to choose the other, unless you know what you’re doing presumably.
Once you’ve applied and your application has been processed, you’ll receive a letter confirming your enrolled, along with your deductible. At the time of writing, processing roughly takes eight weeks.
If you need an excuse of receiving a letter to parents, you can say that you heard about it from friends, and that it saves a lot of money. If you’re a young adult but not currently on prescription medications that your parents are aware of, you can say that you’re doing things adults do. If you’re a minor, this excuse might not pass as well.
How do I apply if…
Section titled How%20do%20I%20apply%20if%E2%80%A6I’m a newcomer to Manitoba
Section titled I%E2%80%99m%20a%20newcomer%20to%20ManitobaAlong with your Pharmacare application form, you’ll need to fill out and print the Declaration of Family Global Income form.
I’ve not filed my first tax return
Section titled I%E2%80%99ve%20not%20filed%20my%20first%20tax%20returnAlong with your Pharmacare application form, you’ll need to fill out and print the Declaration of Age form.
The Pharmacare Declaration of Age form leaves ambiguity on what to do if you’re over 18 and have not filed income taxes.
In the interest of not submitting a false statement, you may wish to cross out “under the age of 18,” and write on top of the crossed-out text, “over the age of 18” instead.
If you’re able to get clarification on this, please email hello@queerwinnipeg.ca.
How do I mail it myself?
Section titled How%20do%20I%20mail%20it%20myself%3FAssuming you have no mailing supplies, your one-stop shop is a Canada Post office. They will have standard envelopes for you to use. Although they likely have pens, you may wish to bring one yourself. Otherwise, a dollar store will definitely have envelopes and pens if need be.
See How to address mail accurately - Canada Post for details.
You’ll need to put your own info on the top-left. In the middle/the addressing zone, put the following information;
Manitoba Health
Non-Insured Benefits
300 Carlton Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 3M9
If you’re going out to a Canada Post without data and/or an internet connection, you should screenshot these mailing details!
Canada Post is fairly lenient on formatting. Although technically you’re supposed to capitalize everything, I definitely did not when I sent my letter. But, it went perfectly fine.
It costs $1.13 including tax to mail a standard lettermail.
How else can I submit my application?
Section titled How%20else%20can%20I%20submit%20my%20application%3FTechnically, you could email pharmacare@gov.mb.ca your application. This is not recommended, as sensitive information such as your Public Health Insurance Number (PHIN) will be your submission. You can also fax your application to 204-786-6634.
When do you get your benefits?
Section titled When%20do%20you%20get%20your%20benefits%3FOnce you submit your application via mail, it will apply on the next from time of submission. Ideally, you’ll submit your Pharmacare application before then, so you can take advantage of Pharmacare sooner.
At the time of writing, processing the application will take eight weeks, and you should receive a letter once it’s been processed.
Additional reading
Section titled Additional%20readingCongrats, you’ve now learned how to apply for Pharmacare. You’ll now be able to save lots of money on your medications! For more resources on how to save on medications, check the following out:
- innoviCares - Funded by participating pharmaceutical manufacturers, innoviCares covers the cost on select brand-name prescription medications. Getting a card is free.
- Non-Insured Health Benefits program - The Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program is a health benefit program for registered First Nations and recognized Inuit individuals.