A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.
~Yoko Ono

Friday, December 21, 2007

It's About Time For A Nova Scotia Family Pharmacare Program

And now for a complete change of topic ...

My fellow Nova Scotians will be pleased to know that the Nova Scotia Family Pharmacare Program will come into effect on March 1, 2008. All residents of the Province with a valid Nova Scotia Health Care are eligible for the program which covers certain prescribed drugs, supplies and related services, as listed in the Nova Scotia Formulary.

The value to each family will depend upon the family's size and income. Although there are no yearly premiums, there is an annual family deductible and co payment. The co payment is 20% of the cost of each prescription (which compares favourably to a lot of private insurance plans in which which the plan pays 80% of the cost of the drug and the individual pays 20%).

An easy-to-use and useful electronic calculator is available on the site which can be used to help determine your family's annual deductible.

But remember that even if you have private health coverage, you may still benefit under the provincial Plan. Anything you are required to pay out of pocket under your private plan (ie. a deductible or a co-pay like the 20% in the example above) can be used to count towards your Family Pharmacare deductible and a further portion of the cost might then be paid by the Family Pharmacare Program once their deductible has been met.

You must, however, register for the program by completing a registration form and mailing or faxing it to

Nova Scotia Family Pharmacare Program
PO Box 9322
Halifax NS, B3K 6A1
Fax: (902)-468-9402

The registration form can be found here.
And a Frequently Asked Questions page can be found here.

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