Ontario is the first province to deliver Prescription Medications Free for everyone under 24
Ottawa: In one of the biggest expansion of medicare with the launching of OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare on Monday, Ontario became the first Canadian province to provide access to more than 4,400 prescription medications free of cost to children and youth aged up to 24, media reports said.
“We believe in helping all families receive the medication they need, at no cost, to stay healthy and strong regardless of income. OHIP+ [Ontario Health Insurance Plan] is a bold step toward our commitment and vision of bringing universal drug coverage to all Ontarians,” Dr. Eric Hoskins, Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care was quoted in media saying.
Through OHIP+, young people can reportedly access more than 4,400 drug products reimbursed under the Ontario Drug Benefit program, one of the most generous drug benefit programs in Canada, providing coverage for over 4,400 drug products, including nutrition products and diabetic testing agents.
This list would reportedly also include some of the most commonly used medications and those available through the Exceptional Access Program (EAP) -- which provides patients access to drugs not listed on the ODB Formulary, or where no listed alternative is available -- for qualified individuals free of cost.
Qualified people would only be required to present their Ontario health card number along with a valid prescription at an Ontario pharmacy and medicine will be provided free of charge.
Medications covered by OHIP+ include asthma inhalers, drugs for treatment of 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's new medication coverage tool reportedly enables people to search to see if their drugs are covered under OHIP+.
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
Image: Eric Hoskins: Facebook
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