Pangaea Express: OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare

As part of the 2018 budget unveiled last Thursday, Ontario announced it’s new "OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare" plan, a publicly funded drug coverage program for youth up to the age of 24. This plan will include all the 4,400 drugs currently covered under the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) program. There will be no deductibles and no co-payments.

Currently, the ODB funds drugs for 2.9 million seniors and 900,000 people on social assistance and this new coverage for youth that will start January 1st, 2018 will cost the system approximately $465 million per year.

It will be interesting to see the net effect on prescription uptake in Ontario following the implementation of this plan. As well, all sorts of ramifications and clarifications to private drug coverage for youth will be unveiled in the coming months.

For more information, please contact Marla Weingarten