Canada plans to make contraceptives free for women, including birth control pills - Photo: Capital Current
Canadian women will be able to choose the contraceptive method that suits their needs, with the cost covered by the public health insurance program, according to a health care reform announced by the Canadian government on March 30.
Specifically, public health insurance will cover the most common contraceptive methods such as birth control pills, emergency contraceptive pills, IUDs, and contraceptive implants for 9 million Canadian women of childbearing age.
It's part of a reform announced in February that, if completed, would be the biggest expansion of Canada's public health insurance system.
The new program also covers diabetes medications for about 3.7 million Canadians. More drugs will be added to the program in future phases.
The Canadian Government has not yet announced the implementation time or total cost of the program.
The new health care plan must be approved by provincial governments. Alberta and Quebec have already said they will not participate.
According to a recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) using 2021 data, Canada is the country with the highest per capita drug spending behind only Japan, Germany and the United States.
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