You recently indicated in your communications with Freddie that you receive student health
benefits as either:
- An international student whose student health benefits are your only form of health insurance, OR
- A domestic student with additional types of health benefits
In either case, student benefits at Canadian universities and colleges usually cover the cost of generic
Truvada (the medication your Freddie clinician may prescribe you to take as PrEP). Our partner
pharmacy will work to ensure that you receive the most drug coverage possible before dispensing
your medication.
Understanding your benefits coverage
In most cases, our pharmacy will ask you to provide the details (e.g. policy #) of your student benefits
plan. It is a good idea to check with your health office now to determine the coverage status of PrEP
and your suspected out-of-pocket expenses. You can do this by contacting your school’s health
office and asking if the generic formulation of Truvada is covered. This website (https://www.studentcare.ca) is also a helpful resource for determining coverage.
When exploring your benefits coverage, you may be asked for the Drug Identification Number (DIN) for Truvada or a generic version of Truvada. If needed, you can find those on the Government of Canada's Drug Product Database. In many cases, your PrEP will be covered or partially covered by your school health benefits and our partner pharmacy will work to find other forms of financial assistance to often bring the cost to $0.
Navigating coverage denials
Unfortunately, in some instances, we understand that certain student health benefit plans will
initially deny cost coverage. Should this be the case, there is usually an appeal process, and if
applicable, we suggest you request an “appeal form.” Please forward this form to Freddie; we can help
you fill it out to secure coverage.
In other cases, if you have other types of coverage (e.g. private insurance through your parents or
provincial health coverage), there may be other means to secure cost coverage for PrEP. Our pharmacy will help you determine the best way to achieve coverage so we can get your PrEP medication at the lowest possible cost.