Low Income Family

Briefing note for the Ministry of Ontario:

Standing Report on Raising the Public Health Insurance for Low Income Families

Issue

The purpose of this note is to bring to the attention of the Ministry of Ontario, the issue regarding working Ontarians without any form of health insurance, most important being dental, vision, and drug prescription. This is an issue that affects many Ontarians in general, but it especially targets low income earners of $15 000 to $30 000. These employees are not receiving health insurance benefits from the employer, and often forgo receiving the important prescription drugs that they need, or sacrifice going to receive a checkup, so that they could make ends meet.

Background

The background of the proposal I

Some gains are that children who are part of low income families, are covered by OHIP for dental benefits including checkups, fillings, and x-rays, and they are also covered for yearly vision tests, but no eye glasses included. Loses for low income families is that adults over 20 and under 65 are not given any form of health benefits. If the person is employed, they will not be able to receive social assistance and with that, there will not be any health benefits either. The only option for low income persons in the above age gap is to go to the family physician or the hospital’s emergency. Lack of health benefits offered to people who are low income, implicates Ontario considering funds, when looking at the hospital emergency rooms for dental problems alone, found 58,800 low income persons visited, and has cost an average of $30 million. As well, low income persons visiting the physician's office for oral health problems in 2012, has been 217, 730 people which costs the government $7.3 million. These implications Ontario has received in one year alone, could have been reduced, simply if the government would have created a policy and a program that would include the low income earners increased access to dental care. Other loses that impacts both the government and the low income persons, is that if people are not able to receive dental and vision checkups, for a longer period of time, then in the years to come, those people may develop diabetes, cardiovascular disease, from not receiving dental checkups and glaucoma-leading cause of blindness in Canada, from not receiving vision checkups. These illnesses are very serious, and will require a lot more money to be treated, if they do appear. The government should ensure that low income people will not be put into that position, and give