OTTAWA -- Premiers say they are disappointed with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's response to their request for more health-care funding at a first ministers' meeting today.

The virtual gathering saw the premiers demand that Ottawa boost its share of health-care costs to 35 per cent from 22 per cent. That would be an extra $28 billion in the first year, which would rise by another $4 billion annually.

Ottawa will send the provinces nearly $42 billion for health care in 2020-21 under an arrangement that sees the transfer increase by at least three per cent each year.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault, chair of the premiers' council, said he was "very disappointed" Trudeau "refused" to discuss the issue of bigger transfer payments now.

Calling the situation untenable, he said Trudeau deemed discussion of transfer payments "premature" amid the urgency of the pandemic.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe used similar language, saying he was "disappointed" in the lack of progress on transfer amounts but hopeful the 13 first ministers could regroup in the new year to agree on a bump in funding.

As health costs eat up a growing chunk of provincial budgets, the proportion of health-care funding from Ottawa has fallen, and now sits far below the 50-50 cost share established in 1957, Moe said, calling on Ottawa to become an "equitable partner."

Trudeau acknowledged the need for larger health transfers, but said combating the pandemic remains his immediate priority.

"There is a need to increase transfers to the provinces permanently. And we will do that," he said in French after the meeting Thursday, but offered no timeline for the possible hike.

Trudeau began and ended the daylong meeting talking about the need to co-operate on the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and noted the extra $25 billion Ottawa has sent provinces and territories to help them cope with the fallout from the pandemic.

Trudeau said Thursday the federal government alone will also cover the costs of COVID-19 vaccines, the first doses of which will begin arriving next week.

The total cost is estimated at more than $1 billion so far.

Which level of government would pay the hefty price for the tens of millions of doses of vaccines the federal government has pre-ordered has been an open question for weeks.

The federal government has contracts with seven pharmaceutical companies to buy their vaccines if they prove safe and effective enough to get approval from Health Canada.

The COVID-19 vaccine from U.S.-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer and and its German partner, BioNTech, received approval from the federal regulator on Wednesday.

The premiers' demand for more health-care cash comes as the federal government is facing an unprecedented deficit approaching $400 billion.

More billions are yet to be doled out to help Canadians weather the pandemic and encourage the shattered economy to eventually bounce back.

In calculating the federal share, the premiers include only the cash transfers they get from Ottawa. They do not include the billions in annual tax transfers they also get -- essentially tax room vacated by the feds so that provinces and territories can increase their taxes to help pay for health care.

In a 2008 report, the auditor general of Canada pegged the value of the tax transfer for health care at $12.6 billion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2020.