Northern Ont. woman wins fight to have OHIP pay for surgery to remove excess skin
A review board has ruled that Ontario’s health system should pay for surgery to remove a ring of excess fat and skin a northern Ontario woman was left with following weight loss surgery.
Known as a "pannus," it extends as far as three inches around her waist and causes the woman skin irritation, infections, odour and back pain, said the transcript of the Health Services Appeal and Review Board hearing.
After her gastric bypass surgery, the woman’s weight dropped from 248 pounds to 148 and has been stable for more than a year.
Her plastic surgeon submitted an invoice to the province seeking payment for the surgery, but it was rejected.
OHIP said there are three requirements to have the surgery funded: the pannus must be causing health problems, the patient’s weight must be stable for at least six months and the pannus has to extend to the "pubis symphysis," a joint sandwiched between your left pelvic bone and your right pelvic bone.
"The pannus does not extend to a level below the pubis symphysis," OHIP said, in turning down the request.
In her appeal, the woman argued that she needed the surgery not for cosmetic reasons, but for real medical concerns.
"The appellant believes that eligibility for a panniculectomy should not be based on measurement criteria alone, but rather based on medical need, which she believes she meets," the transcript said.
While not ruling on that argument, the board accepted more recent measurements of the woman’s pannus, which found it did extend below her pubis symphysis, making it an eligible surgery under OHIP rules.
"The appeal board finds that the proposed panniculectomy is an insured service … and is eligible for payment," the board ruled.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.