• Health
• OHIP and Health Insurance
• If You Don't Have OHIP

I am pregnant and don't have OHIP. What health care can I get?

Having a baby without OHIP coverage can be a very expensive and stressful experience. If you do not have OHIP or other insurance coverage, hospitals can charge you what they want, including amounts above OHIP prices.

The hospital may ask for your financial information or how much money you have and set their fees based on that information. It is impossible to say definitively how much pregnancy services without OHIP will cost, as hospitals assess each case differently.

If you have private health insurance, your insurance company may pay for some of the costs. However, some insurance policies do not cover pregnancy-related costs.

Community Health Centres (CHCs)

CHCs have health professionals such as doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners on staff. If you do not have OHIP, you might be able to get health care services at a CHC.

Find more information in What are Community Health Centres?

Prenatal and Postnatal Care

Public health units have programs for pregnant women. For example, the Healthy Babies, Healthy Children (HBHC) program has services for babies from before birth up to 6 years old. Contact your local public health unit for more information.

Also, the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP) has many services and programs for pregnant women and parents. Find a CPNP in your community.

Can a midwife help me?

Getting care from a midwife can be a lower-cost solution, especially for newcomers.

Midwives are funded to provide care to all residents of their catchment area, regardless of whether or not they have OHIP. A resident is a person who maintains an address in the catchment area and includes your baby(ies). Each midwife clinic has a catchment area, a geographic area that you must live in to be served by them.

Midwifery services are covered for uninsured clients, and there is funding for consultations and labs, but there are some other expenses that uninsured clients may face. Midwives may give clients this handout [PDF], which explains what services are covered while clients are in midwifery care and what they will still have to pay out of pocket for (e.g. hospital stays). They can support you in planning for possible costs and help you understand how the health system works during your pregnancy.

You find more information on the cost of a midwife can be found in the article How much does it cost to get care from a midwife?

Will my child be eligible for OHIP?

If your child is born in Canada, they may be eligible for OHIP coverage even if you are not. However, your child is not eligible for OHIP if they are temporarily staying in Ontario.

To be eligible for OHIP, your child must be:

• Born in Canada.
• A Canadian citizen.
• Physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days in any 12-month period.

Are you a pregnant international college student?

This is a printable one-page factsheet from the Women’s Legal Education & Action Fund (LEAF). It includes free information and resources for pregnant international college students in Ontario who don’t have access to health insurance coverage. The factsheet is available in more than 10 languages:

For More Information

• Community Health Centre Locations - Provides a listing of Community Health Centres across Ontario. From the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
• Midwifery in Ontario - Information about midwives and services provided by midwives in Ontario. From the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
• How do I find a midwife? - Information on how to find a midwife in Ontario. From Settlement.Org.
• Student-run Free Clinics - are available in some communities across Canada. You can see a medical student with a doctor supervising them.
• Health Card Information - This page has all the information you may need about obtaining, renewing or changing your OHIP card. From Service Ontario.
• Where can I get health care if I don't have OHIP? - You still have healthcare options if you don't have Ontario Health Insurance (OHIP).
• Schedule of Benefits for Physician Services under the Health Insurance Act - Information about how physicians charge OHIP for services. This guide is very technical. It is intended for health care professionals.