Provincial Special Authority/Fair Pharmacare

All patients require application to Fair Pharmacare:

Even if you have a medical benefits provider, you will still need to apply to Fair Pharmacare.

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Go to this site and Click on the blue box that says: Register online for Fair Pharmacare

: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/pharmacare-for-bc-residents/who-we-cover/fair-pharmacare-plan

A. Ajovy, Emgality, Vyepti, Qulipta: The BC provincial medical plan will pay for medications for lower income patients who do not have extended medical benefits.

 

B. For patients with extended benefits, your insurance company requires me to apply for special authority to the province first, and they need to see this approval letter prior to consideration of coverage (except for Botox).

 

C. If we are applying for Botox, I apply directly to your medical benefits. However, most plans only cover a percentage of the cost of Botox. Abbvie, the producer of Botox, can sometimes help cover some of the remainder of the cost, however, you must have applied for Fair Pharmacare first.

3. Information about previous medications

• For the application forms, I will need information about oral preventative medications that you have taken in the past (unless I started you on these medications).

• In order to get coverage most insurance plans require a failure of TWO prior preventatives.  A failure means that either you tried the medication and had side effects, or you worked up the dose and were on the medication for at least 3 months and it is not effective.

• Please find out the name, highest dose taken (for example topiramate 50 mg twice a day), date started and date finished, and affect (intolerance, not effective, initially effective then it stopped working, etc.).

•  Medications that are accepted include amitriptyline, nortriptyline, venlafaxine, duloxetine, candesartan, propranolol, nadolol, metoprolol, atenolol, topiramate, Keppra, memantine.