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Treatment coverage in your region

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Prescription Drug Programs in Nunavut

In Nunavut, there are five main ways to obtain coverage for prescription drugs:

1. Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB)

  • a registered Indian according to the Indian Act,
  • an Inuk recognized by one of the Inuit Land Claim organizations, or
  • an infant less than one year of age, whose parent is an eligible recipient. (Health Canada, 2009)

See below for more information about NIHB and how an individual can become a beneficiary of their Inuit Land Claims Organization so that they can receive health benefits.

2. Extended Health Benefits (EHB)

  • Provides drug coverage for non-Aboriginal individuals who have been diagnosed with a disease or condition and for people 65 and over who meet criteria for the Program

3. Indigent Health Benefits

  • Provides prescription drug coverage for people on income support

4. Seniors’ Drug Program

  • Provides full prescription drug coverage for all residents of Nunavut who are 65 and older

5. Private Health Insurance

  • People may have prescription drug coverage through their place of employment or may purchase private health insurance to pay for their prescription drugs
Getting My Hepatitis C Medications

Hepatitis C treatment medications (peg-interferon and ribavarin) are included in the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) formulary as drugs that are eligible for coverage. These hepatitis C medications are considered a Limited Use Benefit and require special approval before they will be covered by NIHB. For people to access their treatment medications, they must have their specialist submit a written request to NIHB. The treatment must be for a patient who has not previously been treated for chronic hepatitis C. If the request is approved, people will have their medications covered for up to 48 weeks.

For more information about the various prescription drug programs in Nunavut, people can visit the Department of Health and Social Services website.

For information about NIHB, people can either visit their website or contact them by phone or mail at:

NIHB Northwest Territories and Nunavut Office
Non-Insured Health Benefits
First Nations and Inuit Health
Health Canada
60 Queen Street, 14th floor
Postal Locator 3914A
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0K9

Toll-free: 1-888-332-9222

To be eligible to receive health benefits from NIHB, people must first be registered with their Land Claims Organization. People can contact their Land Claims Agreement office using the contact information below to request an application form. Once registered, people can notify their service providers that they have recognized status with their Land Claims Organization so that they can receive benefits from NIHB.  

Service providers are encouraged to bill NIHB directly so that clients are not forced to pay directly for any health services or goods they may require. However, if people must pay for a good or service, they can seek reimbursement from NIHB by completing the NIHB Client Reimbursement Request Form and sending it to the NWT and Nunavut NIHB office. The completed request form must be received within one year from the date they paid for the health service.

If a request for reimbursement is denied, NIHB recipients have the right to file an appeal to have the decision reviewed. More information on the appeals process is available on the NIHB website or by calling the NWT and Nunavut NIHB office.

Land Claims Organizations – Contact Information

Nunavut
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI)
Enrolment Administrator 
Department of Human Resources 
P.O. Box 280 Rankin Inlet, NU X0C 0G0 
Tel: (867) 645-5400
Toll-free: 1-888-236-5400
Fax: (867) 645-3451
Website: www.tunngavik.com

To register, you can also fill out the online application form for the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NCLA) and send it to the address above.

Quebec 
Makivik Corporation 
Makivik Head Office
P.O. Box 179
Kuujjuaq, Quebec J0M 1C0
Tel: (819) 964.2925
Toll-free: 1-877-625-4845
E-mail:info@makivik.org
Website: http://www.makivik.org/

Inukjuak
J0M 1M0
Tel: (819) 254-1173
Fax: (819) 254-1040

Kuujjuaraapik
J0M 1G0
Tel: (819) 929-3925
Fax: (819) 929-3982

Montreal
1111 Dr. Frederik-Philips Blvd., 3rd Floor
St. Laurent, Quebec H4M 2X6
Tel: (514) 745-8880
Toll-free: 1-800-361-7052

Ottawa
75 Albert Street, Suite 1001
Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7
Tel: (613) 234-5530

Quebec City
555 Grande-Allée E.
Québec (Québec) G1R 2J5
Tel: (418) 522- 2224

Labrador
Nunatsiavut Government
Nunatsiavut Government Office
12 Sandbanks Road
P.O. Box 70
Nain, NL  A0P 1L0 
Tel: (709) 922-2942
Fax: (709) 922-2931
E-mail: nainreception@nunatsiavut.com   
Website: www.nunatsiavut.com

Hopedale Office
General Delivery
Hopedale, NL  A0P 1G0
Tel: (709) 933-3777
Fax: (709) 933-3746
E-mail: ehunter@nunatsiavut.com

Happy Valley-Goose Bay Office
1 A Hillcrest Road
P.O. Box 909, Station B
Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL  A0P 1E0 
Tel: (709) 896-8582
Fax: (709) 896-2610
E-mail: ataomie@nunatsiavut.com

Postville Office
General Delivery
Postville, NL  A0P 1N0                                 
Tel: (709) 479-9880
Fax: (709) 479-9891
Email: bcolbourne@nunatsiavut.com

St. John’s Office
95 LeMarchant Road, Suite 203
St. John’s, NL  A1C 2H1 
Tel: (709) 754-2587
Toll-free: 1-877-777-2589
Fax: (709) 754-2364
E-mail: psssp@nunatsiavut.com

Rigolet Office
General Delivery
Rigolet, NL  A0P 1P0 
Tel: (709) 947-3383
Fax: (709) 947-3371
E-mail: pmsheppard@nunatsiavut.com

Makkovik Office
General Delivery
Makkovik, NL  A0P 1J0
Tel: (709) 923-2365
Fax: (709) 923-2366
E-mail: cgear@nunatsiavut.com

 
Costs and Coverage for Treatment in Canada

Some programs can be accessed by all Canadians. Examples include:

Private health insurance

Some health insurance policies offered through private insurance companies include coverage for prescription drugs. These programs often have their own deductible, or co-pay fee, and may have yearly maximums for prescription drugs.

Peg-Care & Pegassist

Two of the pharmaceutical companies that make Hep C medications have programs to help people complete treatment. Merck has the Peg-Care program for people taking peg-interferon alpha-2b (known as Pegetron). Hoffman-La Roche has the Pegassist program for people taking peg-interferon alpha-2a (known as Pegasys). Both programs have 24-hour phone support for people on treatment, and part of this support is helping people to access the funding necessary to cover treatment costs. These programs can inform patients about local, provincial, and federal government programs for accessing treatment and can help the patient find out ways to maximize any public funding or private medical insurance (including the appeals process, if the patient also has a supportive doctor). If a person is eligible, these programs can even help cover the insurance company co-pay fee, provincial or territorial plan's deductible, and a number of other expenses, depending on a person's specific situation.

For more information, contact:

 Pegassist Program

 1-877-PEGASYS (1-877-734-2797)

 Peg-Care Program

 1-866-872-5773

Revised 2011.