OHIP and DCI

[simcoediver]

Does OHIP cover decompression accidents in Ontario?
Should I buy additional insurance thru DAN or PADI to make sure I am covered?

 

[pufferfish]

Does OHIP cover decompression accidents in Ontario?
Should I buy additional insurance thru DAN or PADI to make sure I am covered?

Yes you are covered here in Canada with your OHIP card. You are not covered when out of the country and this is where you need additional coverage from DAN. A flight from an island with no chamber to the nearest chamber and treatment can hit 50K and higher real fast.

 

[vlada]

the treatment for DSC is indeed covered, including chamber rides. However, it is a good idea to be a DAN member, as they can refer you to the closest chamber and sometimes contact the chamber on your behalf as well,to make sure they are ready for your arrival

Plus, remember, that if you have accident somewhere in Ontario, it might be the case that the closest chamber is in the US, so having an insurance woul not hurt

Vlada

 

[Groundhog246]

OHIP may cover chamber treatment (I was told one time they didn't, but I expect puffer is correct), they don't usually cover transportation. And they don't pay the full costs if you're out of the province (Quebec, etc), never mind out of Canada. If you were on a charter on the US side of the river, they could refuse to cover.
Also check your life insurance policy, many exclude diving activities. I also recommend DAN coverage and have a life policy with them too. I don't have the details right to hand, but I think it actually pays out more if you're killed in a dive accident.

 

[pufferfish]

OHIP may cover chamber treatment (I was told one time they didn't, but I expect puffer is correct), they don't usually cover transportation. And they don't pay the full costs if you're out of the province (Quebec, etc), never mind out of Canada. If you were on a charter on the US side of the river, they could refuse to cover.
Also check your life insurance policy, many exclude diving activities. I also recommend DAN coverage and have a life policy with them too. I don't have the details right to hand, but I think it actually pays out more if you're killed in a dive accident.

OHIP does cover chamber treatment and always has as far as I can recall. Transportation is fully covered as well if the injury occurs in Ontario. If for example you are diving on the north shore of Lake Superior and have a diving accident you would likely be transported by helicopter to southern Ontario. OHIP would cover every last penny of this transport just as if you had fallen off a mountain and needed tertiary orthopedic care in southern Ontario.

As far as out of province but within the country again there are reciprocal agreements with all the provinces except Quebec which will cover you for both transport and treatment. If you are diving off the tip of Vancouver Island as an Ontario resident and suffer a diving accident, the BC system will likely tranport you to Vancouver or Esquilmalt for treatment and the cost will be collected from Ontario by the BC health system. Your OHIP card is completely valid in BC. Of course if a BC resident is diving in Kingston and is injured the tab for transport and treatment will be covered by the BC government. The BC health card functions in Ontario and OHIP will collect from the BC government. Quebec is definitely distinct as they will likely cover treatment if an Ontario resident is injured while in Quebec, but a Quebec resident if injured outside of Quebec will get stuck with an extra charge if the fee for the transport and treatment is more than that offered in Quebec. Bottom line is as long as you are not a resident of Quebec you are fully covered in Canada for both transport and treatment for diving accidents.

If you have an accident on the US side of the St. Lawrence say in Brockville I am not sure what would happen. I'd probably call the Ottawa chamber and see if they would arrange pickup by chopper. I've seen our system take US patients from Canadian soil directly to American hospitals near the border without any fancy paperwork or hassles so one would hope there would be reciprocal treatment. If not you would be heading to a US chamber on your DAN insurance.

 

[Groundhog246]

OHIP does cover chamber treatment and always has as far as I can recall. Transportation is fully covered as well if the injury occurs in Ontario.

Has this changed recently, or does it need to be a serious injury for transportation to be covered? I've been taken to hospital emerg by ambulance twice, one after a motor vehicle accident, the other an illness at home and both times received bills for ambulance transport. After the MVm the insurance company eventually paid it, the other I was out of pocket. I know AFTER you get to A hospital, if they have to transfer you it's covered.

 

[mikey b]

For out of Province/Country insurance I have found that Ontario Blue Cross is best. It's $75 for a years coverage. That covers you for travel up to 30 days in length for an unlimited number of trips per year. They have no limit on the number of claims you can put in per year unlike the other companies. Your covered for up to $5 million (per incident) including plane tickets if you can't make your return flight because of an accident. They have no depth or gas used restriction. The only restrictions they have are that you can't be getting paid for your diving and you can't be involved in a contest (ie. who can dive the deepest, stay down the longest...).

Mike B

 

[boney]

If you have insurance from work check those first. I was planning on getting the DAN converage at one point but then I sat down with our HR department and asked a bunch of questions, made a bunch of phone calls, etc. After about a month we figured that my insurance from work gave me pretty much the same coverage as DAN.

 

[Tom R]

We are pretty lucky in Canada for medical coverage. You also have to remember that some DAN coverage will cover your equipment that is lost or damaged as a result of your accident.

There are other alternatives also, For Example: I know the Isreali Diving Federation has an insurance package which is in 15US range, that covers you and your gear in case of an accident. There must be other dive destinations that offer the same.

 

[pufferfish]

Has this changed recently, or does it need to be a serious injury for transportation to be covered? I've been taken to hospital emerg by ambulance twice, one after a motor vehicle accident, the other an illness at home and both times received bills for ambulance transport. After the MVm the insurance company eventually paid it, the other I was out of pocket. I know AFTER you get to A hospital, if they have to transfer you it's covered.

Ah yes you are correct and it has been a while since working in the ER. Five years ago there was a 'copayment' on a land ambulance ride of $45 just to make you think twice about calling 911 for that taxi ride. Of course here in Toronto some smart patients realized an ambulance was cheaper than a taxi so a form was developed to allow the physician to say this was a non-emergency ambulance ride and a signature on that form meant the patient would get a bill for the entire cost. I will check with a friend and see what the cost currently is but back then it was close to $500. I think I signed this once when I saw someone who came with the lights flashing for a sore throat but it is at the physician's discretion.

Now for real emergencies where transport is by fixed wing or helicopter I think OHIP's rational is this transport is physician initiated so there is no copayment at all.

I will try and find out what the land ambulance real emergency copayment is but likely it is still about $50, just above what an average taxi ride would cost in Toronto.

So did you get hit with the $45 or $500 fee?