Ontario. Health Insurance Division

• Health Insurance Division

On April 1, 1972 the Ontario government merged its hospital and medical insurance plans to become an integrated plan, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) which would be administered under the new Health Insurance Division of the Ministry of Health. The hospital insurance plan had previously been administered by the the Ontario Hospital Services Commission, while medical insurance, through the Ontario Health Services Insurance Plan (OHSIP), was administered jointly by the Insurance Division and the Health Insurance Registration Board.

From 1972 to 1975, the Health Insurance Division consisted of three branches: Enrolment, Insurance Claims, and Medical. In 1976, Medical Branch was dropped and the other two retained until the addition of the Ontario Drug Benefit Program, which was added to the Division in 1979, where it remained for a brief period. In 1980 the internal scheme of the Division changed once again to be composed of the Enrollement Services Branch, Professional Services Branch and the Operations Branch.

In 1988, the organizational structure changed once again, with the Health Insurance Division falling under the Assistant Deputy Minister for Corporate Administration. At this time, the Membership Programs Branch replaced the Enrollment Branch. This was to be followed alomost immdiately by a major shift in structure. A new position of Assistant Deputy Minister of Claims Payment and Systems was created, under which three divisions fell: Health Insurance Division, Claims Payment Division, and Information Systems Division.

It was at this point that the claims function was separated from the Health Insurance Division, which began its evolution towards a greater emphasis on policy and legislation. From 1990 to 1992, the Division was divided into the Client Services Branch, Alternative Funding Unit, and Provider Services Branch. By 1993, Client Liaison and Communications Branch and Laboratory Services were added to the Division.

In 1994, the Division was dissolved when all health insurance-related functions were moved under the Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Insurance and Related Programs.

The Health Insurance Division fulfilled various functions under the Health Insurance Act including the administration of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) and the creation of legislation and policy related to health insurance and payment programs.

Health Insurance Act, 1972

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Annual Reports, Health; KWIC Indexes

-add predecessor agency (Health Insurance Services and Health Insurance Registration Board).

Archivist(s):
Prefontaine