Are the classic red and white Ontario health cards expiring?
Yes, they finally have expired this year July 1st, 2020. If you receive a letter in the mail to replace or update your health card, you have 30 days to replace it or else it will expire. If you haven't been contacted yet, your red and white health card expires July 1st, 2020. However, if you card has been reported lost or stolen, or you haven't used your card in several years, your health card will be cancelled. It doesn't take much for someone at the health office to click "cancelled" on your file. I've heard stories of patients who swear they never received a letter from the government to replace their health cards, and one day they got sick and their health cards didn't work. If you get sick, and your health card is invalid, then you are not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. You will have to pay out-of-pocket for the medical services.
Bottom line, if you have an old red and white health card, forget your nostalgia or stop hiding from the mailman, and go to your nearest Service Ontario office and replace your health card with the newer, more secure, photo ID health card.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/switch-photo-health-card
