Eye care IS Health Care!  

For many, the current dispute between the optometrists and the Ontario Ford Government may not seem overly urgent, especially in view of other public health issues (COVID) which have been distracting us for the last year and a half.    

But....if you have kids under 19 whose eye exams were previously covered by OHIP, or you're over 65 and your exams were previously covered by OHIP,  or you suffer from certain conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration (to name a few), and your exams were previously covered by OHIP...you might think a little differently about the urgency of resolving this dispute.

Optometrists have been funded by OHIP at levels which have not been re-negotiated in DECADES.  Is that fair?

Some of us have been fortunate enough not to have to worry one way or the other because we have (or had) employer paid health benefits. 

Many of us  (the casual workers, the temporary workers, the part time workers, the contract workers, the seniors - those of us who've never had access to employer paid benefits or those of us who have lost employer paid health benefits as a result of  'aging out', or those of us who have lost paid health benefits during the  ongoing pandemic) might look at things a little differently.

All of us - every single one of us who pays taxes - helps to fund OHIP through our taxes.  It's a line item on our returns.  

So, when the current Conservative Ford Government wants to sweep this under the rug, those of us who help fund OHIP and those of us who still believe in a publicly funded health care system for ALL, versus a private health care system for THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD IT need to speak up.   

Tell Premier Ford and your local MPP that not properly funding eye care hurts you and your family.

Please sign this petition and support continued access to eye health care.   And, please,  feel free to make your concerns known to:

Christine Elliott, Minister of Health
Christine.elliott@pc.ola.org
(905) 853-9889, office
1 800 268 1153

Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario

premier@ontario.ca

416-325-1941

Your local MPP....