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Out-of-Country Hemodialysis Reimbursement Program

NOTE: As a temporary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario Health will only be providing reimbursements through electronic funds transfers (e-transfers) to help protect patients, staff and other individuals by following physical distancing protocols as directed by the Ontario government. Please see Submit a Claim for more details.

The Out-of-Country Hemodialysis Reimbursement Program is available to Ontario patients who have hemodialysis treatments at a facility while travelling outside of Canada. It helps offset the costs of these treatments.

The program is effective as of January 1, 2020. It is funded by the Government of Ontario and all funds go towards reimbursing patients.

We encourage you to also look into your travel insurance options before you leave home. See Travel Insurance to learn why.

This page contains everything you need to know to apply for reimbursement for hemodialysis treatments you received on or after January 1, 2020 while travelling outside of Canada.

Who is Eligible

You are eligible if you meet all of these conditions:

  • You live in Ontario, and have a valid OHIP card.
  • You have received hemodialysis treatments while outside of the country on or after January 1, 2020.
  • The cost of your treatment was not covered by insurance.
  • You submit your Out-of-Country Hemodialysis Claim Submission Form and original receipts within 1 year of treatment.

Submit a Claim

Until further notice, you must submit your banking information along with Page 3 of the Out-of-Country Hemodialysis Claim Submission Form.

If you have previously submitted a claim and received payment by cheque, you will need to re-submit Page 3 of the Out-of-Country Hemodialysis Claim Submission Form along with your banking information for any new claims.

If you have recently submitted a claim that has not yet been reimbursed, and did not include your banking information, you will need to re-submit Page 3 of the Out-of-Country Hemodialysis Claim Submission Form along with your banking information. Ontario Health will be contacting you to inform you of this request.

Simply follow these steps to be reimbursed for the cost of hemodialysis treatments you received outside of Canada on or after January 1, 2020:

  1. Gather your receipts and make copies for your records.
  2. Download and print or save Out-of-Country Hemodialysis Claim Submission Form.
  3. Complete the form, either by hand or by filling out the saved copy. Do not fill it out in the browser.
  4. If it is your first time submitting an out-of-country hemodialysis claim to Ontario Health, or you have previously received a payment by cheque, you will need to complete page 3 of the form and submit your banking information.
  5. Submit the completed form(s) with original receipts by mail to:

Out-of-Country Hemodialysis Claims
Ontario Health
525 University Avenue, 5th Floor 
Toronto, Ontario 
Canada  M5G 2L3

Please see the first page of the Out-of-Country Hemodialysis Claim Submission Form for more details.

Before you finish your claim:

Payment Amount and Timing

You can expect to receive your reimbursement within 6 to 8 weeks after we receive your claim.

You will receive the Canadian dollar equivalent of what you paid for each treatment, up to a maximum of $210 Canadian dollars per treatment. There is no maximum number of treatments for which you can submit a claim.

Payment Methods

Electronic funds transfer

NOTE: At this time, we are only processing payment by electronic funds transfer (e-transfer).

If you are submitting a claim for the first time or have previously received payment by cheque, you will need to complete the third page of the claims form and include your banking information.

Payments by cheque will not be processed until further notice.

Kidney Foundation of Canada Travel Loan repayment

If you have received a loan to pay for out-of-country hemodialysis from the Kidney Foundation of Canada, you may authorize Ontario Health to direct your reimbursements to the Kidney Foundation of Canada. To do this, simply fill out the section of the claims form titled “Authorization of Direction to Pay the Kidney Foundation of Canada for repayment of a Travel Loan.” We will then pay any eligible reimbursements directly to the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

You are responsible to pay for any portion of the loan not covered by reimbursement.

Treatments Before January 1, 2020          

If you received any hemodialysis treatments before January 1, 2020, you may submit claims for these treatments through the Ministry of Health claims process. Visit the Ontario Central Forms Repository to download the form.

If your trip included treatments both before and after January 1, 2020, you will need to submit 2 separate claims:

  • For treatments received before January 1, 2020 send claims to the Ministry of Health.
  • For treatments received on or after January 1, 2020 send claims to Ontario Health.

Foreign Currency or Language          

If your receipts are in a foreign currency, we will convert the amounts into Canadian dollars for the purpose of assessing your claim. We will use the Bank of Canada exchange rates for the dates of treatment to convert foreign currency to Canadian dollars.

We accept receipts in English or French. If your receipts are in another language, you will need to translate these into English or French. If the total amount of your claim is greater than $1,000, you will need to certify this translation.

Travel Insurance

If you are an Ontario resident travelling abroad – even if you are living with chronic kidney disease – we encourage you to investigate travel insurance options in case you need emergency health and doctor services while you are out of the country. Learn more at OHIP coverage while outside Canada.

You should investigate travel insurance options even if you are covered by OHIP and are visiting another Canadian province or territory. OHIP may not fully cover the costs of emergency health and doctor services you need while out of the province. Learn more at OHIP coverage across Canada.

Questions?

If you have any questions not answered here, contact us online, or call us toll-free at 1-855-460-2647.