HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia's opposition parties are accusing the Liberal government of designing a seniors drug plan that will save the province money, but cost seniors more.

Tory leader Jamie Baillie said the Liberals misled taxpayers about the intent behind the revamped program, which could end up saving millions of dollars to help balance the budget in the year before a provincial election.

"The government basically lied to the seniors of the province," said Baillie after he received a copy of the projections. "They told them they needed to pay more because it would make it sustainable and that's just not true."

Pharmacare is a blend of government contributions and premiums charged to seniors, which under the new system will be based on the incomes of single people and couples.

Health Minister Leo Glavine says under the revised system, 12,000 seniors who previously paid a premium won't pay one beginning April 1, while wealthier seniors will see their payments rise.

But Baillie says the government hasn't clearly stated to seniors that overall the changes are likely to cost more, based on the recently released figures.

The government rolled out some projections on Thursday that indicated one scenario for 2016-17 where the assumption is the existing 120,000 beneficiaries stayed in the program and an additional 6,480 people join the program as they turn 65.

In that scenario, seniors contribute $64.6 million, and government pays $110 million, while the existing system would have seniors paying $54.3 million of the cost and the province $120.8 million.

"They're ripping $10 million dollars more out of the pockets of their seniors and putting it in their own pockets as a government to try and balance the budget," said Baillie.

Another scenario imagines seniors who pay higher premiums dropping out of the provincial program in favour of private-sector insurance -- a projection which still saves the province $7 million when compared to the existing system.

The final scenario projects a drop in enrolment of 15,000 people, and in that instance the cost to the province mirrored the old system's cost.

Acting NDP Leader Maureen MacDonald says the old system was functioning well, and exempted the payment of premiums by poor seniors who received the guaranteed income supplement.

She said the program in the past included annual reviews and premiums were raised at a reasonable rate to help cover the growing costs of drugs.

MacDonald says in this instance there hasn't been an honest flow of information.

"They have tried to spin this and they have tried to hide the reality of what they're doing," she said. "They say that 12,000 more people will be exempt but they forget to tell you who is going to be impacted and the overall diminishing of the government's responsibility."

Premier Stephen McNeil said many of the future costs are difficult to predict.

"One of the variables we don't know is what are the drug costs that are coming forward?" he said.

He also said it's not clear how many seniors will opt in or opt out of the program, making projections difficult.