GreenShield's Essential Medicines program targets Canadians without coverage, offering up to $1,000 in drug support
More than one million Canadians do not have prescription drug coverage, according to GreenShield’s 2024 Impact Report.
In response, the organisation is expanding its Essential Medicines program—launched in Ontario in 2023—to Nova Scotia and Alberta.
The program provides eligible individuals with 12 months of prescription medication access—valued up to $1,000 per person—at no cost.
Medications are dispensed, shipped, and supported through GreenShield’s pharmacy.
In Alberta, the program is being piloted through The Alex Community Health Centre in Calgary.
Bethan Simms, director of Primary Care at The Alex, said, “We see people delay or abandon treatment because they simply can’t afford it.”
She said GreenShield’s partnership has helped address the needs of their team.
In Nova Scotia, GreenShield works through a referral-based partnership with IONS (Impact Organizations of Nova Scotia). Local organisations refer individuals who need medication access.
Emily McCallum, a part-time student and nanny managing a fibromyalgia diagnosis, said the program “definitely took a large chunk of stress out of things. Even if a doctor changes my medication, I don’t have to panic about whether I can afford it.”
The company reports that the program is designed to operate alongside existing public and employer-sponsored plans, aiming to support individuals without current drug coverage without shifting costs to taxpayers.
Zahid Salman, president and CEO of GreenShield, said the Essential Medicines program is connected to the company’s origins. He referred to its founding in a Windsor pharmacy nearly 70 years ago, where a mother was forced to choose between her health and her child's.
That moment led to the creation of what he described as North America's first prepaid drug plan.
He said the program reflects a belief that “no Canadian should have to choose between health and affordability” and added that it demonstrates how public-private partnerships can address healthcare challenges.
The program operates under GreenShield Cares, a platform that includes other initiatives in chronic disease and mental health.
Mandy Mail, executive vice president of GreenShield Cares, said the expansion of the Essential Medicines program to more provinces would lead to an increase “not just in prescriptions filled, but in lives impacted.”
She said the initiative reflects how a non-profit can work with community partners to deliver measurable outcomes.
GreenShield states it has invested $59m into social impact programs and reached 750,000 people to date, with a goal of investing $75m by the end of 2025
