Everyone should be able to access healthcare.

From March 2020 to March 31, 2023, uninsured people did not have to pay in order to seek essential medical care in hospitals, including going to the emergency department. As of April 1, 2023, the provincial government unfairly cut this vital program.

This means that people without valid OHIP cards might now have to pay in order to access care in hospitals, including going to the emergency department. The fees that hospitals charge vary, with each hospital charging different amounts.

Some hospitals are asking people who are uninsured to pay fees for care upfront, even before any care is provided. This is an unethical and dangerous practice as the financial barrier prevents many people from being able to access any care at all. The Ministry of Health only requires hospitals to record the following information for people without OHIP in order to seek care: name, gender, and date of birth or age.

Some hospitals will present a bill to people after the care is provided. This approach is preferable because it ensures that people get the healthcare they need first. Read below to learn more about what you can do if an uninsured person receives a bill.

The Ministry of Health only requires hospitals to record the following information: patient name, gender, and age. This means uninsured people should be able to access services without ID or identification.

With the cuts to uninsured funding for hospital care (starting April 1, 2023), uninsured people might receive bills from the hospital when they seek care. The fees people are asked to pay will include physician and hospital fees and vary from hospital to hospital.

Here are some tips on how to respond to these bills:

1. If an uninsured person is registered with a Community Health Centre (CHC) for primary care, the physician fees may be covered by the CHC. In most cases, the uninsured person will need a letter from the CHC indicating they are a patient with the centre in order to not receive a bill from the hospital doctor. The hospital fee is not covered, even for uninsured people registered at CHCs, and might be asked to pay out-of-pocket.

2. If the uninsured person chooses to pay out-of-pocket, they or their advocates can contact the hospital business office to:

   1. Negotiate to be billed under OHIP rates instead of non-resident rates, which are often triple the amount;

   2. Arrange to pay back a manageable amount each month (i.e. $5 or $10 a month).

3. Ideally, the uninsured person would have only provided their name, gender and age when they went to the hospital, or have provided alternate or false contact information. We have heard that this is a way uninsured people have avoided receiving hospital bills after they receive care. In some cases, uninsured people have simply ignored the bill because of the minimal risk involved with not paying.