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. |