Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez
Canada’s first universal prescription medication coverage program for youth and children aged 24 years and younger, OHIP+, was launched in the Ontario province on January 1, 2018. During its first 11 days, more than 220,000 young people filled more than 350,000 prescriptions. The OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare program is the biggest expansion of Medicare in a generation, and Ontario is the first province to provide prescription drug coverage at no cost to more than 4 million children and youth, including an estimated 1.2 million who lacked access to affordable medications before the expansion. Enrollment is automatic, and there is no annual deductible or copayment. OHIP+ currently pays for more than 4,400 medications listed on the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary. Participants must present an Ontario health card and a valid prescription.
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