Press Release
Ontario is helping families afford the care they need to stay healthy by making prescription medications free for everyone age 24 and under.
Health and Long-Term Care minister Dr. Eric Hoskins met with young mothers at Massey Centre in Toronto yesterday, where he launched “OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare.”
In just under two weeks, children and youths will be able to get their medications at no cost simply by showing their Ontario health card number and a prescription at a pharmacy.
Coverage will be automatic, with no upfront costs.
Starting Jan. 1, more than 4,400 medications will be covered, such as asthma inhalers, drugs to treat depression, anxiety, epilepsy, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, antibiotics, EpiPens (epinephrine auto-injectors), insulin, diabetes test strips, oral contraceptives, medications to treat some childhood cancers and other rare conditions, and many others.
Ontario is the first province to provide prescription medication coverage at no cost for children and youths age 24 years and under, which will make a real difference in the lives of people across the province.
According to a recent report by the Conference Board of Canada, the number of people in Ontario who are not currently eligible for drug coverage under a public or private insurance plan will drop from 13.2 percent to four percent when OHIP+ becomes available on Jan. 1, which means an estimated 1.2 million people without coverage will benefit.
Ontario’s public drug programs already are one of the country’s most generous, helping to pay for needed prescription medications for seniors, people with high drug costs, and other vulnerable populations.
OHIP+ will give young people access to more than 4,400 drug products reimbursed under the Ontario Drug Benefit program, including some of the most commonly-used medications and those available through the Exceptional Access Program.
