Comment by a Canadian - Jan 2011

Ontario Health Insurance Plan -Vitamin D Testing

Beginning December 1, 2010, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) will only cover the cost of vitamin D testing for patients with the following medical conditions:

• Osteoporosis and Osteopenia
• Rickets
• Malabsorption Syndromes
• Renal Disease
• Patients on medications that affect vitamin D metabolism

This is not what doctors are telling patients. Patients are being told that serum vitamin D testing is illegal unless the doctor suspects one of the above. Patients are not given the option to pay for the test.

I know this is exactly what patients are being told, for yesterday I spoke to friend who has been fatigued, and catching every virus that comes along for months and was finally going to the doctors. I told them to request a serum vitamin D test for otherwise they were guessing. Directly after the doctor visit I asked my friend what the doctor said. I was told they took multiple blood samples for a number of serum tests including mononucleosis, but it was illegal to do an serum vitamin D assay.

This is what happens when governments ration health care, tying doctors hands to control costs. Obama care will be bringing this type of health care rationing to the US soon.