Ontario patient asked to pay $120 for OHIP covered test

An Ontario hospital is investigating why a patient was asked to pay $120 for a medical test the ministry of health says is covered by OHIP.

“I’m caught in-between the middle of politicians and the people who are actually providing the health-care,” Akio Maroon told CTV News Toronto.

The issue came to her attention after receiving an email from a clinic at Toronto General Hospital on Monday confirming an upcoming appointment for a Vestibular Head Impulse Test (vHIT) next month.

“It is not covered by OHIP as of July 1st, 2023 and we require a payment of $120 on the day of your appointment. If you are on ODSP or welfare, you may provide your membership number to waive the fees,” an email from the clinic obtained by CTV News Toronto said.

However, the website for the clinic notes that “vestibular tests and hearing tests are covered under OHIP.”

Maroon posted a redacted version of the email on Twitter, viewed by more than 270,000 people, and received a response from the Ministry of Health a day later.

“There have been no changes to coverage for vHIT under OHIP. vHIT,” the ministry posted on Tuesday.

“It is against the law to charge for an OHIP covered service.”

In response, the University Health Network, which oversees Toronto General Hospital, told CTV News Toronto it is “currently investigating” the situation.

Meanwhile, Maroon is left wondering, “what do I do?”

“I’m not medically cleared to go back to work. I’ve been living off my savings and that is dire,” Maroon said.

The medical tests under question are required to diagnose a condition that has resulted in Maroon being placed in a medically induced state twice after her body felt like it was in a parachute constantly spinning faster than a rollercoaster, she said. The test, she said, is medically necessary.

“I can’t move, I can’t eat. It’s debilitating,” Maroon said.

As a single mother of two children who also takes care of her aging parents, Maroon said she’ll have no choice but to pay for the test, and even dip into her retirement savings, if it comes down to that.

“If you can’t afford it, then you don't get tested and you either live with being sick or you die poor. Those are the options that I’m left with,” she said.