New here from Manitoba.

[Jalapeno7]

Hey.

I am new here, and can't wait to finally deal with my gyno. I believe I have enough money saved up to finally get the surgery. But I think I want to goto Dr. Fielding in Ontario.
I am curious about if my Manitoba health insurance will cover my surgery in another province, or do I have to use OHIP, or is that even possible?

I wouldn't mind driving or flying out there or anything, just curious about insurance from out of province, thank you.

[monsterclean]

Hi,

OHIP will not cover you if you are not a resident of Ontario.

However, every province in Canada has its own provincial health plan.  Manitoba also has one (http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mhsip/index.html)

You'd have to make sure that the Manitoba plan covers gland excision, or else you will have to pay that cost out of pocket.

If everything checks out, there's no reason you can't have surgery in Ontario.  One of the principles of the Canada Health Act is portability - Canadians are covered for health insurance both within and outside their province!  Beautiful, isn't it?

[Jalapeno7]

Manitoba Health covers services that are medically necessary. You should
consult with your physician who would best determine if your condition
is medically necessary or not. Treatment for aesthetic purposes is not
an insured service through Manitoba Health.

This is what I received in an email regarding gyno. Do you think Dr. Fielding would think its medically necessary?
I would be able to afford to fly out there and pay for lipo, but at the moment I don't think I can afford to pay for the full cost.
If I were to re-write an email is there anything specifically I should say or ask?

This was my original email;

I was just curious if I was covered under my manitoba health plan
for Gynecomastia removal. I interested
in knowing if this surgery would be covered to remove the glandular
tissue in my chest. It has been affecting
me emotionally for years, and I would like to finally be rid of it.
Thank you.

Thanks, any help is appreciated.

[Merangue]

AFAIK you should be able to go to Fielding and pay the same cost as an Ontario resident. From my research, only people from Quebec have problems getting the excision part of the surgery covered through provincial health care.

Call and find out though. Their office opens this monday (on vacation currently) and leslie should be able to answer your questions. I'm in the same boat right now (from BC though), I'll be calling when their office opens up to confirm all this and if all goes well... book the earliest consultation/OP date available.

I wouldn't recommend driving there (at least for the operation). You probably won't be in any condition to make the drive back for at least a few days after surgery. Make sure you budget for transportation + lodging + misc costs.

We may meet at his office if we get the same date

[Jalapeno7]

Awesome, I am really glad to hear that. Let me know how the call goes with you, and I will do the same.