OHIP took my OHIP away

[Tourtiere]

Some of you might have heard about this.  While I went to get my health card renewed, the lady at the desk asked me questions about my life, what I do, etc.  Completely oblivious to any possible repercussions, I told her about busy musician schedule and recording in Quebec and travelling constantly.

From the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care website:

To be eligible for OHIP coverage you must be an eligible resident of Ontario. This means that you must :

1. be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or among one of the newcomer to Canada groups who are eligible for OHIP and
2. be physically present in Ontario for 153 days in any 12-month period and
3. make your permanent and principal home in Ontario.

So, she took my health card away.  I went back, very distraught, with some friends and a notarized document and my high school yearbooks and my diploma.  I brought 12 months of cell phone records and Interac purchases to prove that I had been in Toronto for 'a lot' of the last year, if not a total of five months' worth.  Pathetic, perhaps, and it didn't work.  I don't have a lease agreement, or own a car, or have any way to prove (legally) that I'm an Ontario resident.

She then told me that I could appeal her decision, but that appeals rarely go through.  She sneered as she told me this.

So, if you travel for work, lie, lie, lie.

[Tourtiere]

PS.

The Canadian Health Act promises health care to all Canadian citizens.  I don't even know how to suss this, I don't know what to do.

Does anybody know of any way to get coverage in Ontario without OHIP?  I've looked at a bunch of health care systems but they all require it.

[Chuck Skullz]

go to the media. go to CBC. you are based in Canada, you grew up here...you've won canadian music awards in this country...and they take away your health coverage? yeah right.

go to the cbc or something with the story. they'll back down. with government departments like this, as soon as you make a big scene, they'll back down. at least in cases like this. i'm convinced that is what will happen. this woman will probably get some embarassing reprimand.

[meanguybrian]

Owen, definitely tell every single person in the media that you know, about this.

Unfuckingbelievable.

[Televiper]

To be eligible for OHIP coverage you must be an eligible resident of Ontario. This means that you must :

1. be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or among one of the newcomer to Canada groups who are eligible for OHIP and
2. be physically present in Ontario for 153 days in any 12-month period and
3. make your permanent and principal home in Ontario.

Wow.. with these rules you have to wonder if half the population of Ontario isn't eligible for OHIP. 

[Littleproud]

Did this occur at the Health Card place downtown Toronto? I have to go there today...I would contact your local political rep, as well as The Toronto Musicians Union. That is, if you are indeed a union member. Maybe CARAS could help, too?

[Brett]

This is unbelievable. Shocking, actually.

I would be interested in writing about this if you're considering going to the media.

That 153-day thing doesn't seem fair. If your 'principal' home is already in Ontario, why should you have to prove you've been there 153 days? And further, HOW can you prove that? It's impossible.

[Dovercourt]

go to the media. go to CBC. you are based in Canada, you grew up here...you've won canadian music awards in this country...and they take away your health coverage? yeah right.

go to the cbc or something with the story. they'll back down. with government departments like this, as soon as you make a big scene, they'll back down. at least in cases like this. i'm convinced that is what will happen. this woman will probably get some embarassing reprimand.

Seconded. This is an outrage!

[kid spill]

Thirded!!

[Littleproud]

If you need stiches or a kidney, throw me a line.

[Tourtiere]

I have talked to Rosario Marchese's office about it, and a woman there said that she could help me out.  I have to spend five months in Toronto before I can get covered again.

BUT

She also said that this is a recurring problem that's been happening all last year.  That is, lots of Toronto-based Canadians have had their federally defined right to public health care revoked.

So everybody be careful!

[Tourtiere]

It's especially frustrating considering my over-zealous worship of "the state".

[mike!!!]

wow.  i was out of ontario for half of last year.  more the year before. 

luckily, i still have the old white-and-red health card that never needs renewing...

[spastic]

This is ridiculous! I hope things work out for you.

[Erik T]

Damn, this does warrant more coverage. It makes me wonder if there's a statistical incentive to constantly deny a certain number of eligible folks their OHIP card, so that the number of Ontarians filling waiting lists and costing money is slightly lower, while these people await their health cards?

[TheGoodWIll]

It's been an ongoing issue since Harris was the premiere. I feel that they keep cutting health care and making it out to be worse and worse until someone decides that maybe privatized is the way to go and since the state of the system is so bloody awful that we all buy it and get screwed.  It's an absolute disgrace on the province that this happens.

[k hollywood 1993]

exact same thing happened to me... no health care for many months.. the walk in clinic would not accept me even though obviously flu ridden without the card. nobody.

then one day a new card came in the mail. but at least 4 months later.

[jeff]

This is absolutely nuts!

[Candice]

whaaaat the fuck.

[Brett]

when the gov't cuts your OHIP, does it also cut the portion of your taxes that goes to fund OHIP?

i'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that the answer to that is no.

[famous james]

i can see the headlines now:

final fantasy has not a good home

[lexomatic]

go to the media. go to CBC. you are based in Canada, you grew up here...you've won canadian music awards in this country...and they take away your health coverage? yeah right.

go to the cbc or something with the story. they'll back down. with government departments like this, as soon as you make a big scene, they'll back down. at least in cases like this. i'm convinced that is what will happen. this woman will probably get some embarassing reprimand.

2 things to get the goverbnment to answer/review your situation quickly.
1- contact the minister responsible for heatlhcare/OHIP
2- contact the media
preferrably cc your letter to minister to media.
there will most likely be protocols in place that your query/complaint must be addressed in x amount of time.
otherwise you might be waiting a few months depending on how busy things are.

[COLLINS]

I'm going to go out on a limb and propose that this has something to do with wiping out Franco-Ontarians.

[Tourtiere]

Hey guys, although this post is about me, it's actually about you.  Like, vous.

I've already made overtures on my end and I'm taking care of getting my OHIP back.  I don't need to alert the media or anything, all I needed to do was phone my MPP.  It's going to take some time, but that's it.

This thread is just to warn you all about this loophole.  Don't tell the government that you're a touring musician.  (Or that you work abroad, have family that live in Manitoba, or volunteered for a year in Cambodia.)  You'll lose your privileges like *that*.

[middleeightjeff]

geez and I was thinking of getting a photo health card. change of heart was not just a good band, it's a good idea as well! 

[middleeightjeff]

the question I wanna ask though is (and this is not to trivialize the situation, cos regardless it sucks) is your OHIP being given back to you based on who you are (award winning, semi-well known in musical circles) or could an average Joe/Jane on the street be able to do this were it to happen to them? I have my doubts sometimes with our healthcare system. I also don't have a lot of faith in medical science but I'm not gonna get into (and I'm not gonna answer anyone who is going to try to debate me on it cos I have my reasons for them and they're exclusive to me) and this only piques my ire even further.

[dan burke]

They took mine away, too. Right now I could use some antiobiotics to get rid of one of those flu/throat viruses that are really persistent. Anybody got any left over anti-biotics?

[COLLINS]

I have som Midol, Dan. Cures everything.

[friends explode]

This is messed up and makes me glad for my old red and white health card.

Sorry you have to deal with this, mang.

[Littleproud]

HOLD ON TO THOSE RED AND WHITE HEALTH CARDS!
I was really sick last week, went to a clinic, waited for an hour before they told me my card had expired THREE DAYS PRIOR. This doesn't happen to the old ones (non-photo).
Glad to hear things are being rectified, Tourtiere.

[Televiper]

Hey guys, although this post is about me, it's actually about you.  Like, vous.

I've already made overtures on my end and I'm taking care of getting my OHIP back.  I don't need to alert the media or anything, all I needed to do was phone my MPP.  It's going to take some time, but that's it.

This thread is just to warn you all about this loophole.  Don't tell the government that you're a touring musician.  (Or that you work abroad, have family that live in Manitoba, or volunteered for a year in Cambodia.)  You'll lose your privileges like *that*.

But, it's outrageous that we have to lie about or withhold this kind of information in order maintain the health coverage we're entitled to.  It would make sense of the word "or" was between each statement and not the word "and."

[frances farmer]

i experienced a very similar situation when i went away for a year but made the mistake of waiting to replace my health card right before i went away. i encountered questions at the time, too, and i didn't know what she was getting at until i somehow got scolded for not telling them that i was leaving canada for a year. then they put an expiry date of ONE YEAR LATER on my card so that i would be forced to come back in and prove i was back in canada.

[al-x]

She sneered as she told me this.

I know that this isn't the important part, but it's the part that makes me nuts.  So proud of herself for "catching" you.

[graphs]

this is just ridiculous.

[jenistranslucent]

They took mine away, too. Right now I could use some antiobiotics to get rid of one of those flu/throat viruses that are really persistent. Anybody got any left over anti-biotics?

Antibiotics are for bacteria, not for cold/flu viruses. And people are supposed to take all of the antibiotics for the problem for which they're prescribed, so that the infection is wiped out and resistant bacteria don't develop.

But for this topic, I think as soon as you can prove you've been in the province for 3 months, they should give it back. My best friend's husband just emigrated to Ontario from another country, and his coverage kicked in after 3 months (meaning he was quite screwed when he broke his rib 2 months after he came to Canada).

I find it very odd that they would actually deny coverage to Canadians who have not left the country - you're supposed to have universal access. If you go to Quebec and get sick, you will be covered there through Ontario (up to three months I think, when you have to switch providers). You should never just not have coverage. The system is so frustrating.

[dylan is the enemy]

The thing that bothers me is how they can apparently take away your health care rights based on what you say during what you thought was a casual conversation.

[kid spill]

Hey guys, although this post is about me, it's actually about you.  Like, vous.

I've already made overtures on my end and I'm taking care of getting my OHIP back.  I don't need to alert the media or anything, all I needed to do was phone my MPP.  It's going to take some time, but that's it.

This thread is just to warn you all about this loophole.  Don't tell the government that you're a touring musician.  (Or that you work abroad, have family that live in Manitoba, or volunteered for a year in Cambodia.)  You'll lose your privileges like *that*.

But, it's outrageous that we have to lie about or withhold this kind of information in order maintain the health coverage we're entitled to. 

Exactly. Media attention would be unreasonable for the purpose of getting one dude's coverage back, but I had no idea this even happened and that seems to be the case for most of us on here. And is an absurd reality. So, to this end, yeah, it should be covered. (Aherm, Brett).

[Greg]

Shit, Owen.  Thanks for posting this.  Good thing all my official addresses still point back to Ontario.  Living in the States for the majority of my time without health care through my employer means I am relying on my OHIP if something awful were to happen.

Since I am a Canadian citizen and pay my income taxes in Ontario, I find it insane they would revoke health care if I told them I was not physically in the province for extended periods of time.

[westeyes]

^^reported

[newpolluter]

Shit, Owen.  Thanks for posting this.  Good thing all my official addresses still point back to Ontario.  Living in the States for the majority of my time without health care through my employer means I am relying on my OHIP if something awful were to happen.

Since I am a Canadian citizen and pay my income taxes in Ontario, I find it insane they would revoke health care if I told them I was not physically in the province for extended periods of time.

you've bought some extra insurance for while you're down in the US though right?