Note: This Guide was updated towards the end of March 2025 to include new information about Canadian Dental Care Plan eligibility. This new information was added to p. 22 of the Guide, and ‘Table 2. Dental Care Programs’ on p. 35 was also updated. If you downloaded a copy of the guide prior to March 27, please use the updated version linked below. The document in the Publications section of our website has also been updated.
Many people in Ontario living on a low income struggle to afford prescription medicines, eye care, and dental services because these generally are not covered by Canada’s public health care system.
Although there are some publicly funded programs that offer each of these supplementary benefits, they are a confusing patchwork of federal, provincial and municipal programs that can be difficult to navigate.
This new Guide to Health Benefits in Ontario developed by ISAC staff aims to connect people living on a low income to publicly funded programs that cover or subsidize the cost of these aspects of health care.
The Guide includes definitions of key terms, examples of how each benefit program works, tips for navigating different programs, and links to online resources. It also includes quick reference tables with key information on many health benefit programs.
ISAC developed this Guide because supplementary health benefits are connected to income security in many ways. We hope this guide will improve health equity for low-income and marginalized populations in Ontario.
The Guide is posted in our Publications section, and you can click here to download it (PDF, EN).
A French version will be released soon and will be added to the Publications section of our website and linked here.
You may also scroll through the Guide below.