New health cards to be mandatory by July 1

Change is in the cards for about 300,000 Ontarians who are clinging to their old red-andwhite OHIP cards.

Health Minister Christine Elliott confirmed Thursday that the cards will no longer be accepted at doctor’s offices, labs and medical clinics after July 1.

Only the modern cards with photographs of the holder will be allowed to access publicly funded health services.

“The advanced security features of the photo health card help protect our public health system and is another measure to improve value for taxpayers’ dollars,” Elliott said.

“While there is no cost to convert or renew an Ontario photo health card, there could be significant costs by allowing redand-white health cards, which could be used fraudulently, to remain in circulation,” Elliott said.

Elliott noted that every month, people using the old cards, which can easily be transferred among users, access up to $108 million in health services.

Successive Ontario governments have been trying to clamp down on fraudulent use of the red-and-white cards for years.

In the weeks ahead, the estimated 300,000 people still using the old OHIP cards will be notified by mail that they need to switch to a photo card, which can be obtained free at Service Ontario centres across the province.

People should bring their original cards, proof of Canadian citizenship or OHIP-eligible immigration status, proof of residency in Ontario, and proof of identity.

The minister stressed that no public hospital in Ontario will refuse services to a patient facing a life-threatening medical emergency regardless of whether they have an OHIP card.