Protecting Access to Healthcare for all Ontarians - by Councillor Shelley Carroll, seconded by Councillor Chris Moise

Ending this program will remove access to supports and care from over a million Ontarians, many who are members of marginalized groups and have come to rely on this program without worrying about how much visiting a doctor was going to cost them. In a report published by the Health Network for Uninsured Clients (HNUC), it found that the removal of the financial component of care has created a positive domino effect throughout the system, where doctors and nurses have seen less fear and hesitation in patients seeking out emergency and clinical care in a timely manner. This has led to better health outcomes, early detection of critical illnesses and a significant decrease in mortality. Other healthcare professionals have seen a major reduction in the administrative burden because the system allows them to seamlessly refer their patients for specialists and follow up care, without having to worry about any of them being turned away due to their inability to pay for a service. The positive impacts of the program have been far reaching and its suspension will re-introduce the many inequities it sought to eliminate. It will abruptly cut off medical services for many patients who are currently seeking critical care and will force newcomers out of the system. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is home to thousands of newcomers each year, many who are uninsured and continue to struggle with homelessness and their immigration status in Canada. The barriers that newcomers face in applying for OHIP will be further exacerbated by the suspension of this program, and without any alternatives in place will lead to many opting not to access emergency and primary care due to fear of deportation, unaffordability and racial bias among the many other inequities that continue to exist within the healthcare system in Ontario. Reason for Urgency: program is set to expire on March 31, 2023.