B.C. signs national pharmacare deal with Ottawa, promises to expand drug coverage

British Columbia has become the first province in Canada to sign a pharmacare agreement with the federal government that would help the province fund hormone replacement therapy and diabetes expenses.Federal Health Minister Mark Holland said B.C.’s portion of the $1.5-billion national plan is estimated to be $195-million, and under the memorandum of understanding, funding could begin by April once the legislation makes it through the senate.“My objective remains, and I am confident that we can achieve it, to sign an agreement with every jurisdiction in the country, every province, every territory, prior to April 1 of next year, and to get drugs flowing in every jurisdiction in that timeline,” Holland said at a joint news conference in Vancouver on Thursday.