Ontario Connecting People in the North to Health Care Services
December 3, 2024Improvements to the Northern Health Travel Grant program now in effect
NIPISSING – Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing announced that the Ontario government’s expansion to the Northern Health Travel Grant is now in effect. Over the next three years the province is investing $45 million to expand the Northern Health Travel Grant Program to help people connect to the specialized care and services they need. This will reduce expenses while making it easier for Northern families to connect to the care they need.
“The government is continuing to expand health care access in the province,” said MPP Vic Fedeli. “The enhancements to the Northern Health Travel Grant now in effect will reduce costs and make sure more people can easily and conveniently connect to the specialized care they need, when they need it.”
The Northern Health Travel Grant provides eligible patients with financial assistance to help cover the related costs they can incur when travelling to access OHIP-insured health care services that are not available within a 100-kilometre radius of where they live. These include specialist visits and some diagnostic services that are not available in their local communities. For example, this can help families access publicly funded services through the recently expanded Ontario Fertility Program which the government invested $150 million in funding to triple the number of families across the province with access to publicly funded fertility services.
As of today, expansions and improvements to the Northern Health Travel Grant now in effect are:
- Increased reimbursements for overnight trips to better reflect people’s needs and increased costs, including:
- Increasing the accommodation allowance from $100 to $175 per night, as well as increasing the total allowance for eight or more nights from $550 to $1,150.
- Reducing the travel distance requirement to be eligible for overnight accommodation allowance from 200 kilometres to 100 kilometres.
- Expanding eligibility to include medical travel companions accompanying a patient who is hospitalized.
- Eliminating the need for a signature from the referring health care provider, making the application process faster and easier.
- Removing the 100-kilometre deductible and reimbursing every kilometre travelled to help offset higher gas prices.
- Adding more eligible health care providers and more facility locations, such as community laboratories, to help more people get reimbursed for their incurred costs.
The government will also be introducing a more convenient online application form in Spring 2025 that includes digital receipt submissions which will help families get their reimbursement faster.
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government is making it easier and faster for people to connect to care when they need it, no matter where they live.
Quick Facts:
- In 2023-2024, the ministry processed close to 200,000 reimbursements, providing a total of $54.2 million in financial travel assistance to Northern Ontarians, with the average cost per travel grant of $318.
- The Ministry of Health also provides a telephone support service to help clients who need help completing their applications. The number to call for assistance is 1-800-262-6524.
Additional Resources:
- Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care
- 2024 Ontario Budget: Building a Better Ontario
- Ontario Helping More People Start and Grow their Families
- Northern Health Travel Grant Program