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This presentation will summarize evidence arising from a multi-year population-based study of over 6 Million people in Ontario, Canada who have one of 17 common chronic conditions, and particularly the more than 2.5 Million individuals with multiple chronic conditions. Aside from the expected increases in health care utilization, adverse outcomes and health care costs associated with an increasing number of conditions, the results highlight several novel insights. For example: there are very few patterns of clustering of multiple chronic conditions; the increasing effect of additional conditions on health care use is attenuated for those aged 65 or over; the gradient in mortality associated with socio-economic status is not apparent after controlling for the number of chronic conditions that a person has. Results also indicate modifiable factors: having greater than median continuity of care was equivalent to having one less chronic condition in terms of hospitalization outcomes.