New Brunswick seniors without drug coverage choose between three different plans. The Medavie Blue Cross Seniors' Prescription Drug Program costs $140 a month with a $15 co-pay per prescription, and the application window is 60 days.
Applies in: New Brunswick
New Brunswick seniors without drug coverage do not face one plan. They face three, and the right application depends on whether you receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement and on which plan you choose. The Government of New Brunswick seniors package states that drug coverage is offered to seniors who are 65 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, and it splits the routes from there.
This guide is about the seniors' plans only. The general New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program guide on this site covers the wider program for other beneficiary groups. Here, the focus is the seniors' routes, including the Medavie Blue Cross Seniors' Prescription Drug Program, which is a separate enrolment with its own premium and its own 60-day window. This guide gives no advice on which plan suits you.
1. NBPDP Seniors Drug Plan — if you receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement. Seniors who receive the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) from Employment and Social Development Canada and do not have drug coverage through another plan are eligible for the New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program (NBPDP) Seniors Drug Plan. This 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. The drugs eligible for coverage are listed in the New Brunswick Drug Plans Formulary.
2. New Brunswick Drug Plan — if you do not receive the supplement. Seniors who do not receive the GIS and do not have drug coverage through any other plan may apply for the New Brunswick Drug Plan. That plan has a monthly premium and a copayment per prescription. It is the province's plan for uninsured New Brunswickers generally, not a seniors-only plan, and its own application form and rates apply.
3. Medavie Blue Cross Seniors' Prescription Drug Program — a separate enrolment. Medavie Blue Cross, in cooperation with the New Brunswick Department of Health, offers uninsured New Brunswickers 65 or older a seniors' prescription drug program that provides members the same benefits as those provided by the New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program. It sits alongside an optional Seniors' Health Program with hospital, health and dental benefits. This plan has its own premium, its own application form, and a strict application window, set out below.
Medavie Blue Cross states that you are accepted into the Seniors' Program if you apply within 60 days following one of three events:
Start dates follow the event. If you apply within 60 days following your 65th birthday, coverage becomes effective on the first day of the month you turn 65. If you apply within 60 days following the cancellation of another plan, coverage becomes effective on the first day of the month following the cancellation date.
Miss the window and the terms change. A late applicant must complete a medical questionnaire for drug coverage and may or may not be accepted, based on medical history. A one-year waiting period applies to late applicants for some health benefits. For a late applicant, prescription drug coverage becomes effective on the first day of the month following receipt of the application.
The rates page lists the prescription drug program at $140 per month, with a $15 co-pay per prescription. The optional Seniors' Health Program parts are priced separately:
Hospital benefits cover 80% up to $50 per day, to a maximum of 90 days per year, toward a semi-private or private hospital room, with no hospitalization coverage for the first three months after enrolment. Dental benefits are covered at 70% and include recall exams, polishing, scaling, fillings, root canal treatment, extractions, minor denture repair, and denture reline and rebase, with no dental coverage for the first six months after enrolment. Frequency limits may apply.
For the Medavie prescription drug program:
For Medavie hospital, health and dental coverage: complete the application form and mail, email or fax it. Telephone 1-844-209-7599, fax 1-855-551-9984.
For the NBPDP Seniors Drug Plan (GIS recipients):
For the New Brunswick Drug Plan (no GIS): complete the New Brunswick Drug Plan Application Form, available online through the provincial drug plan page, and mail or fax it as the form directs.
One scope point applies across the provincial plans: they cover prescription drugs only. Vaccines, medical devices, supplies and equipment, such as diabetic supplies, ostomy supplies and oxygen, are not eligible benefits.
The pages opened for this guide state the three seniors routes, the NBPDP Seniors Drug Plan copayment of $9.05 to a $500 yearly maximum, the Medavie premium of $140 a month and $15 co-pay, and the 60-day application windows. They do not state the New Brunswick Drug Plan's own premium and copayment amounts on the seniors pages read here, so this guide does not give figures for that plan. They also do not state a processing time for a seniors application, so this guide gives none.
| NBPDP Seniors Drug Plan, for seniors who receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement | No premium; copayment of $9.05 per prescription to a maximum of $500 per person per calendar year |
|---|---|
| Medavie Blue Cross Seniors' Prescription Drug Program, for uninsured seniors 65 or older | $140 per month premium; $15 co-pay per prescription |
| New Brunswick Drug Plan, for uninsured residents including seniors who do not receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement | Monthly premium and a copayment per prescription; amounts set by that plan |
| Medavie application timing | Apply within 60 days after your 65th birthday, after a previous plan ends, or after gaining NB Medicare as a new resident, or you apply as a late applicant |
All three routes start from the same base: age 65 or older, a New Brunswick resident, a valid New Brunswick Medicare card, and no prescription drug coverage through any other plan.
It depends on the Guaranteed Income Supplement. Seniors who receive the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement and have no other drug coverage enrol in the New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program Seniors Drug Plan. Seniors who do not receive the supplement and have no other coverage may apply for the New Brunswick Drug Plan. Uninsured seniors 65 or older may also enrol in the Medavie Blue Cross Seniors' Prescription Drug Program.
The prescription drug program rate is $140 per month, with a $15 co-pay per prescription. Optional add-ons are priced separately: dental coverage $59.84 per month, hospital coverage $31.50 per month, basic health coverage $22 per month, and enhanced health coverage $32 per month.
You are accepted if you apply within 60 days following your 65th birthday, within 60 days following the cancellation of a previous plan, or within 60 days following gaining eligibility for NB Medicare as a new resident. If you apply within 60 days of your 65th birthday, coverage takes effect on the first day of the month you turn 65.
You may apply as a late applicant, but you must complete a medical questionnaire for drug coverage, and you may or may not be accepted based on your medical history. A one-year waiting period applies to late applicants for some health benefits. For a late applicant, prescription drug coverage takes effect on the first day of the month following receipt of your application.
Complete the application form and mail or fax it. Telephone 1-800-332-3692, fax 1-888-455-8322. To add hospital, health or dental coverage, call 1-844-209-7599 instead.
Each senior applies individually. Complete the NBPDP Seniors Drug Plan Application Form, available online at gnb.ca, and mail or fax the completed and signed form together with documentation that confirms you are receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement. You can get that confirmation letter from Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914.