As a parent, there’s not much more unsettling than having your kids fall ill without the ability to get them the treatment they need.

Thankfully, on January 1st, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care launched OHIP+, granting people in Ontario (aged twenty-four and under) free access to 4,400 drug products currently available through the Ontario Drug Benefit program. OHIP+ will cover asthma inhalers, drugs to treat 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.

This program applies to everyone, no matter their income bracket, and is particularly relevant for those who may not have the means to regularly fill prescriptions to treat ongoing conditions. Providing medication at no cost for children and youth will make a big difference for low-income families, large families, single parents with children, students, young people in the workforce, and unemployed and underemployed young people.

Find out more here.