The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) pays for most of your health care costs when you are outside of Ontario but still in Canada. OHIP only pays for some services when you travel outside of Canada.
If you have OHIP, you get basic health care for free when you are in most other parts of Canada.
When you are in Quebec, you might have to pay for services. When you get back to Ontario you can send your receipt to your local Ministry of Health office. If you are eligible, they can send you back the money you paid for that service. However, they will only send you back an amount that equals what that service costs in Ontario.
Keep your OHIP card with you, even when you are not in Ontario. You need to show the doctor this card to have your costs paid for by OHIP.
If you travel outside of Canada, you should consider getting additional private health insurance coverage. OHIP coverage is limited when you are outside of Canada.
When you travel outside of Canada, OHIP will pay for insured, emergency health services that meet specific criteria. OHIP pays a set amount for these services.
There are many health services that are not covered by OHIP when you are outside of Ontario. For example, OHIP does not pay when you:
Generally, you have to pay for the services upfront and OHIP will reimburse you, if you are eligible. Find out more about how to make a claim to OHIP.
You can buy private health insurance when you travel. This can help you pay for services that OHIP does not cover.
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) has information about what type of insurance you can get when you are outside of Canada. Call CLHIA:
You can be outside of Canada for 212 days in a 12-month period and still be covered by your OHIP.
If you will be away for more than 212 days, you can apply for continuous OHIP eligibility. This means that you want to keep your OHIP benefits, even though you will be out of the country for more than 212 days. OHIP might cover you for a longer period of time if you are out of the country because you are:
To apply for continuous OHIP eligibility, you might need to show documents explaining why you will be absent. Contact your local Service Ontario OHIP office for information about what documents you will need.
For the most up-to-date, official information, call the Ministry of Health INFOline:
