By Staff
December 5th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
They are calling it OHIP+
You are going to hear a lot about it in January when the province rolls out a program that will make more than 4,400 drug products free for anyone age 24 years or younger.
There not be a program to enroll in – all that is needed is a health card number and an eligible prescription.
All you will need to participate in the OHIP + program is a valid Health card.
Who will be covered?
All babies, children and youth age 24 years and under who have OHIP coverage will be automatically covered by OHIP+
OHIP+ coverage will stop on your 25th birthday, but you may qualify for other financial help with prescription drug costs.
What medications will be covered: The list is extensive and includes:
antibiotics to treat infections
inhalers for asthma
various insulins, oral diabetic medications and diabetes test strips
epinephrine auto-injectors (e.g. EPIPENs®)
drugs to treat arthritis, epilepsy and other chronic conditions
medications to treat mental health conditions (e.g. antidepressants)
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs
drugs to treat some childhood cancers and other rare conditions
The starting point is a visit to your doctor or nurse practitioner and get a prescription.
Then you take your health card OR health card number to any pharmacy in Ontario.
The pharmacy will fill their prescription at no charge – you don’t pay a dispensing fee, deductible or co-payment.
Trillium Drug Program members.
If your child is age 24 or under and a member of a Trillium Drug Program household, as of January 1, 2018 they will be covered through OHIP+. This means, because you don’t pay out-of-pocket for their medications, no money from those medications will count toward your deductible.
Students going to university/college in another province
John Hoskins – Minister of Health and Long Term Care will be all over the television news when the OHIP+ program is rolled out. He was a Liberal Party Leadership candidate the lat time around – expect to see him in the race the next time the Liberals go looking for a new leader.
If you’re going to university or college in another province, your prescriptions may still be covered by OHIP+ if you:
remain insured by OHIP
have a valid prescription
get your medications from a pharmacy in Ontario
Expect to hear a lot more about this program – there is an provincial election in June and the current government really wants to get re-elected.
