We haven't checked Ozempic prices in Alberta yet. Alberta Blue Cross handles special authorization for semaglutide under the Alberta Drug Benefit List, so the route runs through Blue Cross, not a provincial web form.
Alberta Drug Benefit List
Partial coverageSpecial authorization: add-on therapy in type 2 diabetes after sufficient trial (such as 6 months) of metformin and a sulfonylurea, where insulin is not an option; may be granted for 24 months.We earn a commission when you sign up with some providers through our links. It never changes our prices or how we rank providers. How we rank
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The Alberta Drug Benefit List (DBL) is the list of drugs Alberta’s government-sponsored plans pay for. Alberta Blue Cross runs the list for the province. Semaglutide sits in the special authorization section, in a group with DPP-4 and SGLT2 medications, and uses a shared request form.
Special authorization means the plan approves the drug for you before it pays. The criteria are on the form and in DBL Section 3, and they refer to a trial of metformin first. Criteria change, so confirm the current version with your prescriber.
Your prescriber submits the form to Alberta Blue Cross. Blue Cross assesses it against the criteria. That differs from Ontario, where the prescriber writes a code on the prescription, and from BC, where requests go through an online PharmaCare form.
We haven’t confirmed processing times, so ask your prescriber’s office how long approvals have been taking.
Alberta Blue Cross also sells non-group plans to individuals, and employers buy group plans from several insurers. These plans write their own rules for semaglutide, and many ask for special authorization. We haven’t read those plan documents, so we can’t say whether they pay for Ozempic. Ask the insurer by phone and write down the answer.
Without a plan paying, you pay the pharmacy’s quote: drug cost, markup and dispensing fee. We haven’t checked Alberta pharmacy prices or fee practices for Ozempic yet. Request the pen price and the fee separately.
We haven’t confirmed the current scope of Alberta pharmacist prescribing for GLP-1s or renewals. Ask your pharmacist what they will do for a GLP-1 prescription.
Alberta's public plans cover it only with special authorization from Alberta Blue Cross, based on the criteria in the Drug Benefit List. We haven't found a listing for weight management.
Your prescriber completes the request and sends it to Alberta Blue Cross, which decides whether you meet the criteria.
Non-group plans are sold by Alberta Blue Cross to individuals. We haven't read their current drug rules for semaglutide, so ask Blue Cross directly.
We haven't confirmed the current rules on pharmacist prescribing of GLP-1s in Alberta, so ask your pharmacist.