Longer Absences from Ontario

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care may continue your eligibility for Ontario health insurance (OHIP) coverage when you are absent from Ontario for more than 212 days in a 12 month period, as long as you maintain your permanent and principal home in Ontario.

If you are already insured by OHIP and choose to travel, work or study outside of Ontario but within Canada, you may be eligible for continuous Ontario health insurance coverage (refer to OHIP Coverage Across Canada).

You may be eligible for continuous OHIP eligibility during a longer absence when you are away for one of the following reasons :

• Study outside of Canada
• Work outside of Canada
• Missionary work outside of Canada

To be eligible for continuous OHIP eligibility during one of these absences, you must first have been physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days in the 12-month period, for 2 consecutive years immediately before the absence.

You may also be eligible for continuous OHIP eligibility during a longer absence when you are away from Ontario for vacation or other reasons.

To be eligible for continuous OHIP eligibility during one of these absences, you must first have been physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days in the 12-month period, for 2 consecutive years before the absence.

To confirm your continuous OHIP eligibility during your longer absence, write or visit the ministry. You will need to show a document explaining the reason for your absence as required by the ministry, for example, a letter from a school, employer or a sponsoring religious organization.

You should contact your local ministry office to confirm your eligibility for your longer absence before you leave Ontario.

Lengths of extended absences vary depending on the reason for the absence.

Extended absences are processed for minimum increments of one year.

If you are away for more than 212 days in any 12-month period but do not use the full year provided for your extended absence, the ministry will not add the remaining time to another extended absence.

If you are away from Ontario on an extended absence with OHIP coverage, you may be eligible to remain away for a longer period and still maintain OHIP coverage. For more information, contact your local ministry office.

In most cases, your spouse or same-sex partner and dependent children under nineteen years of age are permitted to be out-of-Ontario to accompany you on your extended absence for study, work, or missionary work, at the same time as you and still maintain OHIP coverage. However, they must notify the ministry separately if the longer absence is for a vacation or any other reason.

The amount of OHIP coverage for services provided while out of the country is limited; therefore, you should consider obtaining supplementary insurance from a private insurance company to provide you with additional coverage during your extended absence.

Contact a private insurance company or call the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association Inc. at 1 800 268-8099. In Toronto, call (416) 777-2344.

For information about which services OHIP will pay while you are out of the country, refer to Travelling Outside Canada.

March 2007