People in Ontario who meet the following criteria are eligible for publicly-funded Tubersol:
- Those who are contacts of a case of active infectious TB.
- Tests deemed to be “medically necessary” by the patient’s physician or nurse practitioner.
- Those under the age of 65 who are entering long-term care facilities. Note: Screening via TST is not recommended for people age 65 years and older.
- When required by an educational institution for admission to or continuation in a day care or pre-school program, or a program of study in a school, community college, university, or other educational institution. This includes work placements that are a requirement of the student’s educational program. International students requiring a TST for educational purposes may use the publicly-funded supply of Tubersol for the test; however, the administration of the test must be paid out of pocket.
Both the testing and required documentation are insurable services in the OHIP fee schedule. Refer to Health Insurance Act (HIA) Regulation 552, s. 24(1), 24(1.1) and 24(1.2) for more information. Patients who are using the publicly funded Tubersol should not be charged.
For those who do not meet the above eligibility criteria, the test and supporting documentation is not insured by OHIP and publicly funded Tubersol may not be used. For uninsured testing, Tubersol may be:
- Acquired by a primary care provider and sold to the patient;
- Acquired by the patient from the pharmacy, via prescription provided by a primary care provider; or
- Alternatively, acquired by directing a patient to a clinic that provides this TST.