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Canada Dental Care Plan working but costing more than expected: auditor general
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-29 14:50:35.0
Tags: [National, Healthcare, Affordability, Finance, Social Services]A report by Auditor General Karen Hogan found that Health Canada's Canadian Dental Care Plan exceeded its initial budget commitments by $1.1 billion during the 2024–25 and 2025–26 fiscal years, with an anticipated further shortfall of $2.4 billion by 2032 due to higher-than-anticipated claim payments per member. While the program successfully reduced average household out-of-pocket dental expenses from $536 in 2023 to $264 for users, the audit revealed persistent public confusion, with 560,000 members (16 per cent of those accessing services in 2025) receiving full coverage, while dental providers spent roughly an hour a day addressing coverage ambiguities and call centres struggled to meet quality metrics. In response, Health Canada engaged the Office of the Chief Actuary to provide quarterly actuarial forecasts to improve claim payment projections and financial planning.
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Health care, affordability and the economy are the priorities in N.B. throne speech
Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-20 16:31:56.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Healthcare, Affordability, Economy, Housing, Governance]The New Brunswick government's throne speech, read by Lt.-Gov. Louise Imbeault in Fredericton, outlines priorities centered on health care, affordability, and economic growth for the coming year. Premier Susan Holt's government announced that the opening of 30 new collaborative care clinics is ahead of schedule for completion by the end of 2027, alongside plans to name a mental health advocate and launch a health and long-term care workforce strategy. Additionally, the province is creating a trade diversification plan to target high-potential export markets outside the United States and is committing increased funding toward new housing infrastructure.
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How does P.E.I. decide which drugs to cover? It’s more complicated than you might think
Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-10 09:00:00.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, National, Healthcare, Affordability, Finance]The federal government has renewed the Improving Affordable Access to Prescription Drugs program (IAAPD) for Prince Edward Island with $32 million in funding over three years. The program, which launched as a pilot in 2021, has helped add more than 100 medications to P.E.I.'s public formulary and lowered patient co-payments to $5 for many eligible drugs. In addition to the IAAPD, P.E.I. participates in the federal pharmacare program covering specific diabetes medications, supplies, and contraceptives. The multi-step drug coverage process involves Health Canada authorization, price reviews by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, cost-effectiveness evaluations by Canada's Drug Agency, collective price bargaining by the Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, and final provincial formulary decisions.
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Ontario Clarifies Longstanding Out-of-Country Drug Funding Process
Source: Ontario - Ministry of Health
Date: 2026-10-06 21:00:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Healthcare, Affordability, Governance, Finance]The Government of Ontario has amended Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act to align with its longstanding out-of-country drug funding policy, restricting out-of-country funding to treatments where the drug and administration are publicly funded in Ontario, temporarily unavailable locally, and necessary to prevent death or irreversible tissue damage. According to the Ministry of Health led by Minister Sylvia Jones, the regulatory clarification aims to prevent global pharmaceutical companies from bypassing direct price negotiations with the province and avoids potential health-care system cost increases of up to $5.2 billion annually alongside $170 million in out-of-country treatment requests. This follows a recent Ontario Divisional Court decision concerning out-of-country drug funding, which the government is evaluating alongside options such as an appeal or a negotiated resolution with the applicant.
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P.E.I. gets $32M to keep prescription drugs more affordable for Islanders
Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-02 13:45:09.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Healthcare, Affordability, Seniors]The federal and Prince Edward Island governments are investing more than $32 million over three years to extend the Improving Affordable Access to Prescription Drugs Program (IAAPD). Operating since 2021—when it previously received $35 million—the program has expanded P.E.I.'s public drug formulary to include more than 100 new medications such as cancer and heart disease treatments. As of March 2025, the initiative has saved Islanders $13.8 million total, including over $9 million through reduced copayments on cardiovascular, diabetes, and mental health medications, with roughly 70 per cent of those savings benefiting seniors. Additionally, the funding supports substance-use treatment through the Substance Use and Harm Reduction Program and covers second-generation antipsychotic medications for long-term psychiatric patients.
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Cost of living, ‘opioid crisis’ paramount for opposition MLAs as Yukon legislature returns
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-02 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Governance, Healthcare, Affordability, Energy, Mining]As the Yukon Legislative Assembly begins its fall sitting, opposition leaders Kate White of the NDP and interim Liberal leader Debra-Leigh Reti are pressing Premier Currie Dixon's majority government on the rising cost of living, regional healthcare gaps, and the territory's opioid crisis. Premier Dixon is seeking federal intervention to raise the Yukon's debt cap from $1.2 billion to $3 billion to fund major energy and health projects. Additionally, the territorial government reported that 52 out of 56 recommendations from the Independent Review Board following the 2024 Eagle gold mine heap leach disaster have been implemented, with the remaining four slated for completion by spring.
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Health, higher fuel costs drive $440.4M deficit forecast in P.E.I.'s fiscal and economic update
Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-28 22:25:02.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Finance, Healthcare, Economy, Affordability]The Government of Prince Edward Island, led by Finance and Affordability Minister Jill Burridge, released its first-quarter fiscal and economic update for 2026-27, projecting a deficit of $440.4 million. This represents a $30.5 million increase from the operating budget tabled in April, driven by an additional $53.4 million in spending primarily directed toward healthcare, social program funding, and higher diesel and heating fuel costs. Despite the increased deficit and spending pressures, the province reported improving economic indicators, including a 7.1 per cent year-to-date growth in labour income and retail sales, alongside a 24.6 per cent increase in housing starts.
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Government Announces Major Enhancements to Medical Transportation Assistance and Improved Access to Health Care
Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-09-28 15:30:36.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Healthcare, Transportation, Affordability]The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, through the Department of Labrador Affairs and the Department of Health and Community services, announced major enhancements to the Medical Transportation Assistance Program (MTAP) and the Medical Transportation Supports Program (MeTS) effective for travel on or after September 1, 2026. The changes fulfill a Budget 2026 commitment to provide 100 per cent coverage of eligible transportation expenses and more than double MTAP's financial assistance budget. Key policy updates include increasing the private vehicle mileage rate to $0.35 per eligible kilometre, reimbursing all eligible kilometres once MTAP's 500-kilometre mileage threshold is met without excluding the first 500 kilometres, reducing the minimum travel distance for dialysis-related mileage assistance from 50 kilometres to 20 kilometres one way, and increasing private accommodation rates from $25 to $50 per eligible night. Additional measures involve aligning MeTS meal per diem rates with MTAP, eliminating the $400 annual household deductible for eligible in-province travel under MTAP, expanding access to specialized insured medical services sooner when local capacity permits, and introducing new online application and claim services.
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