The New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program covers defined groups, including seniors on the Guaranteed Income Supplement, who pay $9.05 per prescription up to $500 a year and no premium.
Applies in: New Brunswick
The New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program (NBPDP) is not a general application plan. It covers defined beneficiary groups, and each group has its own route in. The Government of New Brunswick states that people covered by the NBPDP do not need to join the New Brunswick Drug Plan, because the NBPDP already provides their drug coverage.
The best-documented group route is seniors: a senior who receives the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement applies individually on the NBPDP Seniors Drug Plan Application Form. Uninsured New Brunswickers who are not in an NBPDP group use the separate New Brunswick Drug Plan, covered at the end of this guide so the two are not mixed up.
The New Brunswick FAQ page describes the NBPDP as a government-funded program providing drug coverage to eligible beneficiaries, including:
This guide walks the seniors route in full, because that is the route the Government of New Brunswick publishes an application form and amounts for. For the other groups, coverage is arranged through the program or institution you are already connected to. The drug plans office can confirm a group's route: call 1-800-332-3692 or email info@nbdrugsmedicamentsnb.ca.
This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify for any group.
The Government of New Brunswick offers drug coverage to seniors who are 65 years of age or older, are residents of New Brunswick, have a valid New Brunswick Medicare card, and do not have prescription drug coverage through any other plan.
Seniors who receive the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) are eligible for the NBPDP Seniors Drug Plan. Some low-income seniors who do not receive the GIS may also qualify; the province's seniors package says to contact the drug plans office to discuss that case.
The seniors plan has no premium. The copayment is $9.05 per prescription, to a maximum of $500 per person in each calendar year, January 1 to December 31.
Do not mix the two plans up. The New Brunswick Drug Plan is a different plan, for New Brunswickers without insurance and for some people whose private plan does not cover a prescribed drug or has hit its maximum. Its facts, from the Government of New Brunswick enrolment page:
Seniors who do not receive the GIS and have no other drug coverage apply to this plan, not to the NBPDP seniors plan. The Medavie Blue Cross Seniors' Prescription Drug Program is a third option named in the province's seniors package; it is not merged into either plan in this guide.
Eligible drugs are listed in the New Brunswick Drug Plans Formulary, updated monthly. Most listed drugs are regular benefits with no criteria or prior approval requirements. Some are special authorization benefits with specific criteria. The drug plans cover prescription drugs only: vaccines, medical devices, supplies, and equipment, such as diabetic supplies, ostomy supplies, and oxygen, are not eligible benefits.
Phone the drug plans at 1-800-332-3692 before applying to confirm that a prescribed drug is listed in the Formulary.
The Government of New Brunswick pages state the seniors copayment of $9.05 per prescription and the $500 annual maximum, but they do not publish copayment amounts for the other NBPDP beneficiary groups, such as nursing home residents or Social Development clients, so this guide gives no amounts for those groups. The pages also do not publish the full premium table for the separate New Brunswick Drug Plan on the pages opened for this guide, so this guide gives no Drug Plan premium figures.
The program is a government-funded program that provides drug coverage to eligible beneficiary groups, including seniors who receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement, nursing home residents, Department of Social Development clients, and others with certain medical conditions. People covered by the program do not need to join the separate New Brunswick Drug Plan.
Each senior applies individually. Complete the NBPDP Seniors Drug Plan Application Form, also available online through the Government of New Brunswick seniors drug plan page, and mail or fax the completed, signed form with documentation confirming you receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement. You must be 65 or older, a New Brunswick resident, hold a valid New Brunswick Medicare card, and have no drug coverage through any other plan.
The seniors plan has no premium. There is a copayment of $9.05 per prescription, to a maximum of $500 per person in each calendar year, January 1 to December 31.
Seniors who do not receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement and do not have drug coverage through any other plan apply for the New Brunswick Drug Plan instead. That plan has a monthly premium and a copayment per prescription based on annual family income. Some low-income seniors who do not receive the supplement may also qualify for the Prescription Drug Program, and the drug plans office can discuss that case.
The New Brunswick Drug Plan is the separate plan for uninsured New Brunswickers. Premiums are set by income, and members pay a 30% co-payment, up to a maximum amount per prescription. Adults pay monthly premiums; children 18 and younger pay no premiums, but a parent or guardian must be enrolled.
Drugs listed in the New Brunswick Drug Plans Formulary, which is updated monthly. Most listed drugs are regular benefits with no criteria or prior approval; some are special authorization benefits with criteria that must be met. The plans cover prescription drugs only: vaccines, cannabis, medical devices, supplies, and equipment such as diabetic and ostomy supplies are not eligible benefits. Call 1-800-332-3692 to confirm a drug is listed.