Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez
Just months after Ontario launched its free prescription drug program for children and adults under 25, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP+) prescription drug plan will be expanded to seniors 65 and older, the province’s fastest-growing age group. Starting in August 2019, seniors will be able to collect more than 4,400 medications free of charge by presenting a prescription and their OHIP+ number at any pharmacy. Currently, older adults pay an average of CAD 240 out of pocket each year under the current drug benefit program in deductibles and copayments. The province is investing CAD 575 million to expand the OHIP+ to seniors by 2020–21.
