A health policy expert is warning some Albertans will fall through the cracks if the province doesn’t reach a pharmacare deal with the federal government.

Canada’s pharmacare bill has officially become a reality after it passed through the Senate Thursday and received royal assent.

The legislation allows the federal government to sign deals with provinces and territories to cover diabetes and birth-control medications as part of the public health system.

0:32 Pharmacare bill covering diabetes, birth control medications passes Senate

Lorian Hardcastle, an associate professor in the Faculty of Law and Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, said this legislation is long overdue.

“This was supposed to have been done as part of medicare for many years and there are many other countries that already do this. So Canada really lags behind in health equity because of all of the other countries that are already doing this,” Hardcastle said.

The Alberta government has previously said it plans to opt out of any national pharmacare plan.

Hardcastle said Alberta saying it intends on opting out before the legislation was table suggests the province is “more interested in the politics and making political gains than they are in thoughtfully considering how to best expand health-care access to Albertans.”

Hardcastle went on to say that while many Albertans have access to drug coverage through their employers, or through the province’s low-income plan, many still fall through the cracks.

“The income cutoff to qualify for public drug benefits in Alberta is about $17,000 a year. And so there’s a lot of people that fall just above that threshold but who certainly can’t afford to buy medication,” Hardcastle said.

“There are people who fall between the cracks that don’t quality for public benefits but don’t have coverage through their employers.”

2:06 Alberta says it’ll opt-out of national pharmacare deal

Alberta’s health minister is calling on the federal government to respect the province’s management of its own health-care system.

In a statement Friday, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said the government recognizes there are nationwide concerns about gaps in drug coverage, and “we are committed to working towards tangible solutions to make drugs more affordable and accessible to Albertans.”

“Alberta is willing to work with and discuss ways that the federal government can invest in Alberta’s existing comprehensive pharmacare programs and help us expand coverage to those who need it most,” LaGrange said.

The minister went on to say that Alberta currently covers more than 5,000 drugs and it intends on maintaining the current benefit offering.

“The federal government can assist us in enhancing our current offerings by not adding duplicate programs or creating unnecessary and costly administrative burdens,” LaGrange said.

“Without meaningful consultation and true collaboration, Alberta will continue to call on the federal government to provide predictable, sustainable and unconditional health funding that aligns with provincial and territorial priorities, and respects our exclusive jurisdiction over the planning, organization and management of our health-care systems.”

The legislation establishes a framework for the creation of any future universal pharmacare plan. It was central to the now-defunct political pact between the Liberals and the NDP.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on provinces and territories to start negotiating deals.

“This is real progress, but now we need the provinces and territories to come to the table and sign agreements with us that supports Canadians and takes pressure off their household budgets as soon as possible,” Trudeau told reporters on Friday as he wrapped a visit to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Laos.

So far, British Columbia is the only province to sign a memorandum of understanding to provide coverage.

Advocacy group Friends of Medicare is calling on Alberta to sign an agreement with the federal government.

“This is a historic program that will be crucial to the health and well-being of so many families in Alberta and across the country,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “Far too many people are struggling to afford the medications they need.

“Now that we’re finally seeing this legislation and program set to move forward, we hope that the Alberta government will reconsider their previous stance, and join onto what would be a moneysaving and lifesaving program for so many Albertans.”

— with files from The Canadian Press