Recently, Ontario government announced important changes to the OHIP+ program making OHIP+ more cost-effective. Benefits are focusing on those who do not have existing prescription drug benefits. In other words, the government no longer offers free prescriptions to kids and young adults under 25 with private health insurance coverage.
Just to remind you: on January 1, 2018, Ontario has become first province to cover prescriptions for children and youth. It has been the biggest expansion to medicare in Ontario in a generation, providing drug coverage to over four million children and youth across the province. Prescription medications were free for everyone under the age of 25 in Ontario.
The new system would be more efficient, saving the taxpayers money and dedicating resources to the people who need it most. Even more importantly, it would continue to guarantee that children and youth still receive the prescription drugs they need.
Children and youth who are not covered by private benefits would continue to receive their eligible prescriptions free. Those who are covered by private plans would bill those plans first, with the government covering all remaining eligible costs of prescriptions.
Since insurance plans can cover thousands more drugs than the 4,400 currently available through OHIP+, children and youth would have access to more medications than under the current program.
Source: https://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2018/06/ford-government-making-ohip-more-cost-effective.html
