BIRD TALK

Dear Bird Talk,

This past winter in Florida, I went to a walk-in clinic and paid cash for the visit. The doctor sent me to the nearby hospital for an ultrasound of my leg and, again, I paid them cash. After arriving back in Ontario, I mailed my receipts to the London OHIP office. They have returned them to me and requested detailed statements, plus the travel insurance company which I use. I only have receipts because of cash payment, and the amounts were less than my deductible. Is this the usual action? Do others receive any compensation from OHIP? The hospital and a radiology department sent me additional bills, but I negotiated them and paid no more.

Bette Bone-Wake
Brantford, ON

Response:
Ed.: My immediate question is, what OHIP employee needs to know more about an ultrasound bill than that it is a bill for an ultrasound. Sometimes, OHIP makes me as crazy as the crooked U.S. health-care system. I notice that you paid your bills in cash and got receipts, but then got more bills. These are fraudulent bills and most providers in the U.S. will try to get more money from you. They hope that your insurer will pay by mistake; they hope that you are forgetful and will pay the bill again; they hope to defraud you and/or your insurance company!

OHIP is another matter. They want to know who your travel insurance company is so that they can get them to do the work. Medipac Assist has an agreement with OHIP (and several other provinces) to pay the bills and then submit them, in bundles, for payment. So, if you are insured with Medipac, you should just send the bills to us and we will get your money for you. In most cases, of course, this money is simply applied to your claim unless it is under your deductible, as yours was. Congratulations for fighting back on those extra bills.