Ontario to waive three-month OHIP waiting period for returning Canadians

A doctor is seen in this file image. (Pexels)

Queen's Park — Ontario will waive the three-month waiting period for OHIP coverage, allowing Canadians who have spent months out of the country to return with their health insurance intact.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic Canadians have been told by the federal government to return home immediately or face the possibility of getting trapped abroad with little access to adequate health care.

Typically, Canadians who spend more than seven months out of Ontario are subject to a three-month waiting period before they can re-apply for OHIP coverage.

However, Ontario’s Ministry of Health says it is working on regulatory changes that will cancel the waiting period for returning Ontarians.

“Recognizing the influx of returning Canadians who may have been abroad for some time, we are in the process of waiving the three-month waiting period for OHIP coverage,” said Ministry of Health spokesperson Travis Kann.

Kann said the regulatory changes should be posted in the coming days.