Government Aid Canada
For a complete listing of what coverage your province has for your diabetes supplies please check out the Canadian Diabetes Association's Advocacy section at www.diabetes.ca/Section_advocacy/advCoverageComp.asp

Registered Disability Savings Plan from the government of Canada. Similar in principal to an RRSP but for the assistance of medical expenses.

British Columbia offers a PharmaCare program. Benefits and coverage under this program depend on income level. They do extend to all insulin on its formulary as well as insulin pump supplies.

Alberta Alberta Monitoring for Health Program provides support to assist in the purchase of some diabetes supplies for low income Albertans without insurance, whether they manage their diabetes with insulin, oral medications or diet. The AMFH Program enables Albertans with diabetes, who meet eligibility requirements, to access limited funding to cover a portion of the cost of eligible diabetes testing supplies. This Program is funded by Alberta Health and Wellness and administered by the Canadian Diabetes Association.

 AMFH Program

Suite 1020 Royal Bank Building

10117 Jasper Ave NW Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1W8

(780) 423-2634 or outside Edmonton 1-800-267-7532  

Saskatchewan
As of July 2003, Saskatchewan has expanded its drug plan for people with diabetes. It will now cover syringes and lancets. It is thought that this will benefit at least 15,000 people. Insulin pumps and supplies are covered for children up to 18 years.

Ontario has two provincial drug programs that work the same way. The Ontario Drug Benefits Program and the Trillium Drug Plan both offer insulin coverage for families meeting the provincial criteria. Insulin covered only includes those listed on the provincial drug formulary. The provincial formulary in this province now covers Lantus and Levemir.
On March 23, 2006 the Ontario government released in its budget $12 million to provide insulin pumps and supplies for 6,500 children in Ontario.  Funding will be  increased to $30m in 2008-09.
Insulin pumps and supplies are covered for children and adults.

Newfoundland and Labrador Effective October 31, 2007, Newfoundland and Labrador will introduce their new "Assurance" prescription drug plan. The Assurance Plan offers protection against the financial burden of eligible high drug costs, whether from the cost of one extremely high-cost drug or the combined cost of different drugs. Depending on their income level, individuals and families will be assured that their annual out-of-pocket costs for eligible drugs will be capped at a percentage of their net family income.

Applications are available in physician’s offices and pharmacies as well as on-line at www.gov.nl.ca/health

Insulin pumps and supplies are covered for children under 18 years of age.

Nova Scotia has recently changed its diabetes care program. As of January 2006, they have launched the New Diabetes Assistance Plan which covers test strips, lancets, syringes and insulin listed on its formulary. This plan is designed to assist low-income families and people who are under the age of 65 and have no other drug coverage. Registration is  underway for the  Diabetes Assistance Program.   Registration forms and information booklets are available by calling the Nova Scotia Diabetes Assistance Program. Information is also available on the Department of Health website. Forms and booklets can also be found in doctors' offices, pharmacies, and diabetes centres.


In New Brunswick  financial assistance is for insulin coverage is limited to those receiving income support or low-income seniors. They only offer coverage to those insulins listed on their provincial formularies unless special authorization is given. Insulin pumps are now covered for children

The situation in the Yukon and other territories remains somewhat unique. Many people living in the north receive 100% coverage of all insulins, pumps and pump supplies under the Non-Insured Health Benefits plan (NIHB). For those not covered under NIHB, there are different policies for the different territories. In the Yukon for example, all insulins except Levemir® are covered. They also cover pumps and pump supplies. To have your pump paid for, you must have an application filled that gives details of your case history stating your failure on MDI, evidence of your commitment and competence to use the pumps, as well as support for initiation and follow up therapy. Requests based on life style choices will not be considered. These requests must be signed by an endocrinologist. There are no specialists in the North. Patients seeking the support of doctors such as endocrinologists must go to major centres such as Vancouver, Edmonton, and Winnipeg to have their pumps prescribed
 

The Canadian Diabetes Association has launched a Compassionate Use Program aimed at economically challenged Canadians who are unable to afford the out-of-pocket costs for monitoring their blood glucose levels.   Through this program, the Association is looking to distribute 4,901 free blood glucose monitoring kits across Canada, consisting of:

1 OneTouch® UltraMini® System Kit 

300 OneTouch® Ultra® Blue Test Strips 

300 OneTouch® Delica® Lancets  

Trademarks owned by Johnson & Johnson and used under license.    

If anyone can benefit from this program or knows someone that could, they can apply by visiting www.diabetes.ca/meter or by calling 1-800-BANTING (1-800-226-8464), option 7  (option 8 for French), to request an application.

Insulin Pump Programs

International Efforts to Help with Supplies

•  www.ipump.org is a board-governed,all-volunteer, nonprofit diabetes charity located in Upland, CA, USA. In addition to financial donations, they also take donations of diabetes supplies, insulin pumps, and insulin pump supplies. They give away all
  donated items for free to qualifying persons in need. They also have a fun program for children newly diagnosed with diabetes where they can request (free) a handmade quilt. In addition to diabetes goods, they can also take donations of handmade quilts and fabric for this program.
  This quilt program is also open to Canadians. They can offer a tax receipt for all donations both in-kind and financial. They offer a variety of assistance programs that offer both financial
  assistance as well as free insulin pumps to children, and free diabetes supplies to persons of any age. For further information and contact information go to www.ipump.org
• The Children with Diabetes Foundation has a program that would see qualifying families receive free supplies for up to 3 months during periods of financial hardship. To apply go to the Children With Diabetes Foundation online (link pending). If you would like to donate to this cause, the is a registered US charity.
• International Diabetes Federation.  A dollar a day will help a child live with diabetes in a developing nation.
• If you know of other organizations collecting supplies please let us know and we will share that information online. 
• If you have extra supplies that you can no longer use and would like to donate them to someone who may not be able to afford them, please let us know and we will try to connect you with a needy person/organization.  
   

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