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Treatment coverage in your region

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Prescription Drug Programs in Yukon

 In Yukon, there are different programs to help you pay for your prescription drugs. To get help paying for your medications, you need to have a green health card from the Yukon Health Care Insurance Plan.

The following programs may be able to help you pay for your prescription drugs, including hepatitis C medications:

  • Chronic Disease Program
    Pays for your hepatitis C medications if you live in the Yukon. You must pay $250 per year or up to $500 per family to be part of the program. Depending on how much money you make and the size of your family, you may be able to pay a smaller fee or no fee at all.
  • Pharmacare
    Pays for your prescription drugs if you’re 65 or older or 60 and married to a Yukon resident who is 65 or older.

If you’re a registered First Nations or recognized Inuit person, the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program may be able to help cover the cost of your hepatitis C medications. NIHB is a program that provides First Nations and Inuit people with coverage for many prescription drugs and health services. You can contact NIHB by phone or mail at:

Non-Insured Health Benefits – Yukon Region
First Nations and Inuit Health
Health Canada
300 Main Street, Suite 100
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 2B5
                                                                                                         Toll-free: 1-867-667-3942

Getting My Hepatitis C Medications

To get your medications covered by the Chronic Disease Program, you can ask your doctor or nurse to apply for you. Your doctor or nurse may talk to you about this program when you are first diagnosed with hepatitis C. If you have Pharmacare, you can apply to Pharmacare for help paying for your treatment. If you get Social Assistance, your health benefits will cover the cost of your medications. You may want to talk to your case worker to get more information.

In Yukon, hepatitis C medications have what is called Exception Drug Status. This means that no matter what drug program you have, you will need to ask your doctor to fill out and send an application for Exception Drug Status to either the Chronic Disease Program or Pharmacare to see if they will pay for your medications. If the application is approved, you can get up to one full term of treatment, for 24 to 48 weeks.

If you want more information about Pharmacare, the Chronic Disease Program or the Children’s Drug and Optical Program, call 1-867-667-5092.

 
Costs and Coverage for Treatment in Canada  

Some national programs in Canada are available to help people with drug costs.

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).

These programs both have 24-hour phone support for people taking Hep C treatment; part of this support is helping people access the funding necessary to cover treatment costs. They can inform you about local, provincial and federal government programs for accessing treatment. They can also help you find ways to access and use public funding or private medical insurance, including the appeals process if you have a supportive doctor. If you are eligible, they can even help cover the insurance company co-pay fee, provincial or territorial plan's deductible and other expenses, depending on your specific situation.

For more information, contact:

 Pegassist Program

 1-877-PEGASYS (1-877-734-2797)

 Peg-Care Program

 1-866-872-5773

Revised 2011.