2024-02-15 02:20:40
The NB Abortion Care Network is calling on the provincial government to follow other provinces in making contraceptive methods free.
The network indicates that many people in NB do not have access to free contraceptive methods, and that this access should be guaranteed by the provincial government in the same way as the abortion pill mifegymiso, which is free in the NB. -B. since 2017.
The group’s spokesperson, Dr. Martha Paynter, says New Brunswick could thus imitate British Columbia and Manitoba, where prescription contraception is available free of charge.
“We need something extremely simple. We go to the pharmacy, present the prescription and receive it,” she says.
New Brunswick has a drug plan that covers certain methods of contraception for people who do not have insurance but have a health card.
The spokesperson, however, affirms that this coverage is not sufficient since its insurance premiums are determined based on income, and that a co-payment of 30% must always be paid, up to a maximum amount per prescription. .
She says adults often have no problem filling out the necessary forms and completing the income test for this plan. But it’s more complex for young people.
“If I’m a 15-year-old girl, I can’t do this. It’s too much to ask, it’s not realistic. So, we want to have solutions that work appropriately for the patient population,” says the woman who is also a nurse and assistant professor at the University of New Brunswick.
The cost of contraceptive methods can also be a significant obstacle, especially for young people, according to her.
She points out that the oral contraceptive pill can cost $20 a month or more, and an intrauterine device can cost between $75 and $550.
Ms. Paynter also says that universal contraceptive coverage would be less costly for the State since unwanted pregnancies are more costly for the health system.
According to a 2015 study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, across Canada, this coverage would increase public spending by $157 million per year. But according to another study from the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Canada, still in 2015, this would be offset by savings of approximately $320 million.
The Ministry of Health reminded by email that the NB drug plan is available and that clients of the Ministry of Social Development, such as those receiving social assistance, do not have to pay anything.
“We are actively studying any gaps in the system that may need to be addressed,” the ministry also said.
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