Question:
Has anyone in this forum qualified for Ohip who lives in Ontario Canada

I have been told by the Hospital in Michigan that I qualify for my surgery being paid by OHIP. My family doctor says you have to be morbidly obese and have a heart condition to qualify. I am 5'2" and weigh 225 pounds. I do not have heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes. I do have osteroarthritis and sleep apnea    — seeschell48 (posted on May 12, 2008)

May 12, 2008
Yes, there are lots of us....check out the Ontario Forum...where are you in On? I am in Windsor and had my surgery in MI 2 and a half months ago....no problems as of yet! Good luck finding out the info you need....as long as you have co-morbs to go along with obesity I would think you would have no issues with OHIP. Suz
   — txsweits73

May 12, 2008
When I went for my orientation at the Barix Clinic in Yspilanti MI. There were a couple CN patients there. The places I have heard that accept this are Barix at 800-282-0066 or Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, ask for Terry 313-982-5054. I am 5'2 240 with only high BP. It is really up to the insurance. My insurance required me to have plus 40 BMI, 5 years of 40 plus BMI weight.
   — tayee24

May 12, 2008
I forgot to mention the only co-morb I had was joint issues due to a birth defect(congenital hip dysplasia), but all of the other stuff runs in my family. I am 5'9 and was 313 at surgery....which gave me a BMI of 46 or something like that. Suz
   — txsweits73

May 12, 2008
I was told that sleep apnea if not treated can cause damage to the heart. That was one of my symptoms also.
   — brandyII

May 12, 2008
Hi Deborah, At 225, 5'2" your BMI is 41.1 which puts you in the extremely obese category. Individuals with a BMI over 40 may qualify for bariatric surgery. On the OH web site, go the "My OH" tab. On the left side it has a list of questions like "Do I qualify for weight loss surgery?" Check that out. Also, If you have a strong family history of heart disease, diabetes, etc. this is considered. I have no heart disease or diabetes myself. I do have high blood pressure and sleep apnea. If I were you, I would do a lot of research, know what you want and present the info to your doctor. I even took the correct forms, the web site for OHIP for Out of Country Medical Care as well as my chosen surgeon's web site when I went in. In Canada, we need to fight for what we want health wise and take care of ourselves or it's not going to happen. I'd be happy to fax you the OHIP forms and web site. If you'd like the you can PM me. All the best, Laura
   — waterlover

May 13, 2008
Yes, I am in Toronto and I was just approved by OHIP 1 and half weeks ago. My surgery is already set. I am about 80 pounds overweight at 5'5 1/2 and 216 pounds. I also have high blood pressure which I got 10 years ago when I was pregnant and it has stayed with me becuase it runs in my family. I am also getting a sleep study done next week because I might have sleep apnea, but I also heard that sleep anpnea would qualify you. You should talk tpo your doctor about that.
   — mystrin78