Ontario Health Insurance Plan

The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (in French: Assurance-Santé de l'Ontario, and commonly known in both languages by the acronym OHIP, pronounced /ˈoʊhɪp/ OH-hip) is the government-run health insurance plan for the Canadian province of Ontario. OHIP is funded by a payroll deduction tax by residents who are gainfully employed, and by businesses in the Province of Ontario, and by transfer payments from the Government of Canada.

Every Ontario resident with his or her primary and permanent home in Ontario is entitled to access emergency and preventive care under OHIP free of charge. Ontario residents may go to a participating doctor—essentially every doctor practising in the province—any time they wish (subject to the consent of the doctor) and the services are billed through OHIP to the government. It does not cover such areas as prescription drugs or dental care, although Ontario does have a drug insurance plan, for use as a "last resort", generically known as the Trillium Drug Program, and the Ontario Drug Benefit Program that covers prescription costs for seniors.

While Ontario receives transfer payments from the federal government of Canada to partially fund health care, OHIP is also supported by general provincial tax revenues and premiums (taxes) paid by employers and individuals. Employers are charged a payroll health care tax (with an exemption for small businesses), and residents of the province pay a health premium (introduced in 2004) as part of their income taxes. Similarly, Ontario publicly funds hospitals.

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