BC Pharmacare Plan Selector
Determine whether the Monthly Deductible Payment Option (MDPO) is right for you.
Step 1: Income Information
Estimated Family Deductible
$0
Estimated Family Maximum
$0
Step 2: Medication Information
Example: If you get a $100 prescription once every 3 months:
- Set Cost of Prescription to $100.
- Set Month 1 Prescriptions to 1.
- Set Month 2 and Month 3 to 0.
Step 3: Comparison of Plans
Fair Pharmacare
Month | Out-of-Pocket Cost |
|---|---|
Jan | |
Feb | |
Mar | |
Apr | |
May | |
Jun | |
Jul | |
Aug | |
Sep | |
Oct | |
Nov | |
Dec |
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
Fair Pharmacare Total: $0
MDPO
Month | Out-of-Pocket Cost |
|---|---|
Jan | |
Feb | |
Mar | |
Apr | |
May | |
Jun | |
Jul | |
Aug | |
Sep | |
Oct | |
Nov | |
Dec |
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
MDPO Total: $0
Estimated Monthly Out-Of-Pocket Costs by Plan
Estimated Cumulative Out-Of-Pocket Costs by Plan
How does Fair Pharmacare work?
BC Fair Pharmacare is a program that provides drug and medical supply coverage for patients in an outpatient (non-hospital) setting. This system aims to control the cost of prescription drugs experienced by patients and their families. BC Fair Pharmacare provides a tiered level of coverage on eligible prescription drugs based on your family income, deductible and maximum. BC Pharmacare covers 70% of eligible drug costs after you reach your deductible, and 100% of eligible drug costs after you exceed your maximum.
How does the MDPO program work?
The Monthly Deductible Payment Option (MDPO) is a program that allows patients to immediately begin receiving Pharmacare assistance as if they had already reached their deductible. At the pharmacy, patients will only pay out-of-pocket for 30% of eligible drug costs until they reach their family maximum. Then, every month, they will pay 1/12 of their annual deductible towards Pharmacare. The patient's total eligible drug costs and deductible payments will not exceed their maximum.
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To be eligible for the MDPO program, a family must:
- Register with Fair Pharmacare; and
- Not have private health insurance; and
- Have a Fair Pharmacare deductible greater than $0.​
What is a Family Deductible and Maximum?
Your family deductible is the amount of money you or a family member must pay out-of-pocket (paid at the pharmacy) before BC Pharmacare starts to provide assistance. Once your deductible is met, you will now pay out-of-pocket for only 30% of your eligible prescription drug costs.
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Your family maximum is the maximum amount of money that BC Pharmacare wants to allow your household to pay out-of-pocket. For example, if your family maximum is $2,000, then you and your family will be covered for 100% of eligible prescription drug costs after you pay an out-of-pocket total of $2,000.
Your family deductible and family maximum are based on your household income (after taxes) over the past calendar year. The amount you or your family spends towards your deductible and maximum are reset at the start of every calendar year. For patients not enrolled with Fair Pharmacare, their family deductible and maximum are set at $10,000 each.
Example: A patient with a deductible of $1,500 and maximum of $2,000 has a monthly prescription drug cost of $500. For his first three prescriptions, he pays for the medications out-of-pocket (3x$500). Since he has now reached his deductible, for the next three prescriptions, he will pay out-of-pocket for only 30% of the prescription drug cost (3x$150). On his next prescription, he is set to exceed his family maximum, having paid $1950 thus far. Therefore, he only pays $50 for this next prescription. Any eligible prescriptions thereafter will be fully covered by BC Pharmacare.
References:
1. Ministry of Health. Fair pharmacare assistance levels. Province of British Columbia. February 6, 2024. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/pharmacare-for-bc-residents/who-we-cover/fair-pharmacare-plan/how-your-coverage-is-calculated/fair-pharmacare-assistance-levels-regular.
2. Ministry of Health. Get help paying your fair pharmacare deductible. Province of British Columbia. June 19, 2024. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/pharmacare-for-bc-residents/who-we-cover/fair-pharmacare-plan/increased-assistance-and-payment-options.
v1.4 Developed by Ethan Lee. Updated December 5, 2024.