Prescription drugs are about to be free for people under 25 in Ontario

In four days, prescription drugs will be free to every Ontario resident under the age of 25.

No co-payments. No family income requirements. Just a health card. You don’t even need to enroll; it's automatic.

That's pretty damn huge. Excuse my language, but it is.

OHIP+:Children and Youth Pharmacare is one of several huge new policies coming into effect across the province on Jan. 1, 2018.

Once it comes into effect, people aged 24 or younger will be able to walk into a pharmacy, present their prescriptions, and get free access to as many as 4,400 different medications.

The universal drug program will cover the cost of antibiotics, asthma inhalers, insulin, epi-pens, diabetes test strips, drugs to treat depression, anxiety, epilepsy and ADHD, oral contraceptives, cancer medications, and other drugs people need to get and stay healthy.

"Providing medication at no cost for children and youth will make a difference in the lives of Ontario families," reads a government release, including "low-income families, large families, single parents with children, students, young people in the workforce, and unemployed and underemployed young people."

Announced in April as part of the provincial budget package, the program is estimated to cost the province $465 million a year, and will cover 4 million young Ontarians.