2. Understand what is covered

The Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP) pays for many medical services in Ontario. Some of the services covered by OHIP include:

• going to the doctor for routine checkups or to see a specialist
• emergency medicine
• most of the cost of ambulance trips
• hospital stays
• medical or surgical abortions

OHIP can also pay for some:

• dental surgery in hospital
• vision care
• foot care

OHIP does not cover everything. For example, OHIP does not pay for:

• medicine that is not prescribed at a hospital, for example, if your family doctor gives you a prescription for antibiotics, these are only covered by OHIP if you are under 24 years old
• dental care at a dentist's office
• eyeglasses and contact lenses
• routine eye exams for anyone between 19 and 64 years old, unless you have an eligible medical condition that affects your eyes
• cosmetic surgery that is not medically necessary
• some mental health and psychological counselling

If OHIP does not cover the cost of a medical service or procedure, then you might have to pay the full cost. In some situations, there are community groups or charities that can help to pay for your treatment.

People can also use private health insurance to help pay for medical services that OHIP does not cover.

Private Insurance

When you have private insurance, you pay the insurance company a certain amount of money every year, often called insurance premiums. Then, if you have medical costs, your insurer pays some or all of the cost of the treatment.

Some employers give their employees private insurance. But you can also buy private insurance on your own. There are many different insurance companies in Ontario. You can find a list of them here. For more information about health insurance for newcomers, see here.

Canadian Dental Care Plan

Depending on your situation, you might be eligible to have some dental costs covered through the Canadian Dental Care Plan. There are different rules about who qualifies.