Member-Identified Negotiation Priorities
OAO continues to advocate for an agreement that supports both patient access and the long-term sustainability of community-based optometric care.
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Increasing remuneration for partial assessments
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Updating frequency limits for conditions including glaucoma, uveitis and keratitis
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Improving remuneration for V409 services
OHIP Negotiation History
Ontario optometrists have provided publicly funded eye care for decades, but formal negotiations with the government are relatively new. For nearly 30 years, OHIP funding and coverage changed without a negotiated agreement. In 2021, OAO entered formal negotiations with the Ministry of Health, creating a new approach to advocating for sustainable funding and patient access.
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TODAY
Building the Next Agreement
OAO remains in active negotiations with the Government of Ontario.
The work now extends beyond the negotiating table. OAO is engaging MPPs, senior political and government decision-makers, mobilizing members and using evidence to demonstrate how sustainable investment in optometry can improve patient access and relieve pressure elsewhere in Ontario’s healthcare system.
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Mar 31, 2025
Previous Agreement Expires
The previous agreement reaches the end of its term while negotiations on a new agreement continue.
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Nov 2024
The Next Negotiation Cycle Begins
OAO begins negotiations with the Ministry of Health on the next agreement.
This is only the second formal negotiation cycle under the new relationship between OAO and the provincial government.
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2023Milestone
First Negotiated Agreement Reached
OAO and the Government of Ontario reach a four-year funding agreement, retroactive to April 1, 2021.
This is a major milestone for the profession: after decades without a formal negotiated agreement, Ontario optometrists now have a negotiated funding framework with the province.
The agreement provides greater stability and establishes a foundation for future negotiation cycles.
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2021–2022
Negotiations Continue
OAO and the province continue working toward an agreement.
Interim fee increases and other funding measures are introduced as discussions continue, but a comprehensive agreement has not yet been reached.
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Sep 2021Milestone
Withdrawal of OHIP-Insured Services
With no agreement reached and longstanding concerns about the sustainability of the system unresolved, Ontario optometrists withdraw OHIP-insured services.
The action brings significant public and government attention to the gap between the cost of delivering care and provincial funding.
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2021Milestone
Formal Negotiations Begin
OAO enters formal negotiations with the Ministry of Health.
This marks an important change: after decades without a negotiated agreement, Ontario optometrists begin formally negotiating the terms and funding of OHIP-insured optometric care with the province.
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2004–2020
Growing Funding Pressure
OHIP optometry fees remain largely stagnant while practice costs and the complexity of patient care continue to increase.
Over time, the gap between the cost of providing insured care and government funding becomes increasingly difficult for optometrists to absorb.
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2004Milestone
Major Changes to OHIP Eye Care Coverage
The province removes routine OHIP-funded eye examinations for most adults aged 20–64.
Children, seniors and patients with certain medical conditions remain eligible for insured optometric care.
This represents a significant shift in Ontario’s publicly funded eye care system and establishes much of the eligibility framework that continues today.
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1990s–2020
Decades Without a Negotiated Agreement
For roughly three decades, Ontario optometrists provided OHIP-insured care without a formal negotiated funding agreement with the provincial government.
During this period, optometry fees saw limited increases while the cost and complexity of delivering care continued to grow. Changes to OHIP eligibility and coverage were also made through government policy rather than through a formal OAO-government negotiating process.