How to Apply for the BC Healthy Kids Program
The BC Healthy Kids Program covers up to $2,000 of basic dental services every two years for children under 19 in families with adjusted net income of $42,000 or less.
How to Apply for BC PharmaCare
BC PharmaCare's Fair PharmaCare plan sets a family deductible from income two years ago. Temporary coverage starts the day you register online or by phone.
Applies in: British Columbia
The short answer
Register once for the Fair PharmaCare plan, online or by phone, then return the consent form that arrives by mail within 30 days. The Government of British Columbia says temporary coverage starts the same day you register by phone or online, based on the income information you provide.
Fair PharmaCare is the BC PharmaCare plan most British Columbia residents use. It helps families pay for many prescription drugs, dispensing fees, and some medical devices and supplies. Coverage is based on income: the less a family earns, the more help it gets.
Who the plan describes
All residents of British Columbia are eligible for Fair PharmaCare coverage if they are enrolled in the Medical Services Plan (MSP) and consent to PharmaCare checking their income with the Canada Revenue Agency.
Coverage is for families, not individuals. A family can be a single person, a married or common-law couple, a single person with dependent children, or a couple with dependent children. If a family has two spouses, both must register. If one spouse is not eligible, that spouse's income must still be included in the registration.
You can have private health insurance and still get help from Fair PharmaCare. Registering does not affect federal coverage.
This guide covers registration only. It gives no advice on whether the plan suits your situation.
How to register
- Gather your numbers. You need Personal Health Numbers for all family members, Social Insurance Numbers for adults, net income on line 23600 from your Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment from two years ago, and Registered Disability Savings Plan income on line 12500, if that applies.
- Register. Register online for Fair PharmaCare, call Health Insurance BC at 1-800-663-7100, or register by mail using the paper registration form.
- Return the consent form within 30 days. After you register, PharmaCare sends a consent form. Fill it in, sign it, and send it back so PharmaCare can check your income with the Canada Revenue Agency. This step is required for full registration.
- Wait for confirmation. It can take up to 90 days to confirm your income. Once income is confirmed, PharmaCare sends a confirmation letter within 30 days explaining your coverage for the calendar year.
If you enter the wrong income when you register, contact Health Insurance BC right away so it can be fixed. If you lose the consent form, request a replacement rather than letting the 30 days run out.
The deductible and the family maximum
Eligible costs are the costs of drugs and medical supplies PharmaCare covers, including dispensing fees of up to $11 for each prescription.
- Deductible. The amount your family spends each year on eligible costs before PharmaCare starts to help. Once you reach it, PharmaCare pays 70% of eligible costs, or 75% if a family member was born before 1940.
- Family maximum. The most your family spends in a year on eligible costs. The part you pay after meeting the deductible counts toward the family maximum. After your family reaches it, Fair PharmaCare pays 100% of eligible costs for the rest of the year.
Each year's coverage is based on income from two years earlier. Fair PharmaCare does not cover costs from previous years, or from times when your family's MSP coverage was not active.
If your income has dropped by 10% or more, the Fair PharmaCare page points to an income review that can lower your deductible. If paying the deductible at the start of the year is hard, the page also points to a monthly payment option.
What the opened pages do not state
The Fair PharmaCare page works out each family's deductible and family maximum from its own income, and it gives one worked example family, but it does not publish a single deductible amount that applies to every family, so this guide gives no universal deductible figure. The page also does not state a fee to register, so this guide does not describe registration as free or as paid.
Related guides:
- How to Apply for BC Disability Assistance — British Columbia disability assistance, which carries its own health supplements through a separate application.
- How to Apply for the BC Seniors Supplement — British Columbia's monthly top-up for low-income seniors receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
- How to Apply for the BC Family Benefit — British Columbia's tax-free monthly payment for families with children under 18.
- How to Apply for the Canada Disability Benefit — the federal benefit for working-age people with a disability.
- How to Start Getting Your Prescription Drugs Covered in Canada — the national picture of public drug coverage and where each province's plan fits.
Registering for Fair PharmaCare, in five steps
- Gather the numbers for every family memberYou need Personal Health Numbers for all family members, Social Insurance Numbers for adults, and net income on line 23600 from two years ago.
- Register online or by phoneRegister online for Fair PharmaCare, call Health Insurance BC at 1-800-663-7100, or use the paper registration form by mail.
- Temporary coverage starts the same dayCoverage based on the income you provide starts the day you register online or by phone.
- Return the consent form within 30 daysPharmaCare mails a consent form so it can check your income with the Canada Revenue Agency. Full registration depends on returning it.
- Watch for the confirmation letterAfter income is confirmed, PharmaCare sends a letter explaining your coverage, deductible, and family maximum for the calendar year.
Questions people ask
How do I register for Fair PharmaCare?
Register online for Fair PharmaCare, call 1-800-663-7100, or register by mail using the paper Fair PharmaCare registration form. You need Personal Health Numbers for all family members, Social Insurance Numbers for adults, and net income from line 23600 of your Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment from two years ago.
What happens if I do not return the consent form?
If you do not return the consent form that lets PharmaCare check your income with the Canada Revenue Agency within 30 days, temporary coverage ends and your family's deductible is set at $10,000. It can take up to 90 days for PharmaCare to confirm your income with the Canada Revenue Agency.
How does the Fair PharmaCare deductible work?
Your family's deductible is the amount you spend each year on eligible costs before PharmaCare starts to help. Once you reach it, PharmaCare pays 70% of eligible costs, or 75% if a family member was born before 1940. After you reach the family maximum, PharmaCare pays 100% of eligible costs for the rest of the year.
Who can register for Fair PharmaCare?
All residents of British Columbia who are enrolled in the Medical Services Plan (MSP) and consent to PharmaCare checking their income with the Canada Revenue Agency. Coverage is for families, not individuals, and if a family has two spouses, both must register.
Do I register again every year?
No. The plan is register once, coverage for life. PharmaCare works out your coverage each year from the income information it receives from the Canada Revenue Agency, based on your income from two years earlier, and your coverage continues as long as it can confirm your income each year.
What costs count as eligible costs?
Eligible costs are the costs of prescription drugs, dispensing fees, and some medical devices and supplies that PharmaCare covers. Eligible costs include dispensing fees of up to $11 for each prescription.
Sources
- Government of British Columbia, Fair PharmaCare plan — the registration routes online, by phone at 1-800-663-7100, and by mail, the documents and line 23600 income needed, same-day temporary coverage, the consent form and its 30-day return deadline, the $10,000 deductible if consent is not returned, the 90-day income confirmation, the family definition, the deductible at 70% or 75% after it is met, the family maximum at 100%, and the $11 dispensing fee cap.