|   					                           News Release                         					  					January 24, 2018   					OHIP+ Recipients Eligible for No-Cost Care  					  						Ontario is making it easier for youth aged 24  years and under to quit smoking by providing them with free counselling from a  pharmacist and medication through OHIP+, part of the biggest expansion to  medicare in a generation.      					  					                          More and more people are quitting smoking but studies  show youth who smoke become regular smokers by 18 years old. Services and medications covered through OHIP+ to help youth quit include:      - Support services and counselling by a   pharmacist for up to one-year. 
    - Prescription medication such as Champix   and Zyban for youth ages 18 - 24 if they are participating in   smoking-cessation counseling.
    Despite significant  progress in reducing the use of tobacco products, nearly 13,000 people in  Ontario still die each year as a result of smoking. By  quitting smoking early, people are less likely to develop smoking-related  illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.     Ontario's plan to create fairness and  opportunity during this period of rapid economic change includes a higher  minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of  thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free  prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of  medicare in a generation.     					  				 |