Canadian 🇨🇦 Workers: Grabbing the HPV Vaccine Perk—Here's How I Did It

After I became a permanent employee, I started getting group benefits. My family plan costs me $5 a month out of pocket, while the company pays $200—it's through Sun Life. A few years ago in China, I got the 2-valent HPV vaccine, but I was told I was over the age limit for the 9-valent vaccine. I recently learned that here, the 9-valent HPV vaccine is available to anyone under 45, so I quickly checked whether my insurance would cover it. In the app, I used the drug lookup—you can't type "HPV"; you need to enter the DIN number or the vaccine name, Gardasil—and then you can see the coverage percentage. Mine covers 80%, so I immediately got prescriptions for both my partner and me. When we booked the appointment at Walmart, I asked the pharmacist, and she said the coverage percentage shown in the app is generally the actual reimbursement rate. Today, we each paid $40 for the first shot. The province or the federal government subsidizes it so there's no injection fee. The two of us got our first HPV shots for $80 total. Compared to the $4,000–$5,000 price back in China, it's an absolute steal.