Getting a Family Doctor

Previously I shared about how we got our OHIP and I also talked about getting a family doctor. This is something new to us, or maybe it was called differently in Singapore and in the Philippines but a family doctor as per the settlement.org site are usually the first doctors to diagnose and treat most medical problems. If you need to see a specialist doctor, usually, you need a family doctor to refer you. Family doctors also order laboratory and other tests.

Singapore, I believe (I’ve only been in a clinic once) has General Practitioners which refers you to a specialist and orders lab tests depending on your case. If you go directly to a specialist, without a referral from a GP, usually it will not be covered by your health insurance and it will cost you a lot. I remember paying SGD$200 for the specialist’s professional fee and medicines (yeah, doctors in a clinic usually include medicines in your payment).

In the Philippines, I believe we also have GPs but I think I haven’t been to one. Usually our HMOs cover the fee for specialists so whenever we are sick, we go directly to  specialist rather than a GP.

I think both Singapore and Philippines doesn’t tie you to a specific practice or family doctor and you can visit any walk-in clinics without any issue but it’s the other way around here in Canada. When you are tied to a specific family doctor/practice, they strongly advise you not to visit walk-in clinics due to some factors such as your medical records will be scattered and that it will reflect badly on your family doctor for not catering to his/her responsibility to you. Once you enter in a family practice agreement, there is contract between you and the doctor, as well as contract between the doctor and the province that we will take care of almost all of your health needs. Though this is kind of new to me, this link gives a clear discussion on the issue of walk-in clinics vs family doctors.

There are two ways to do this, one is through health care connect and another is to use Ontario’s database for doctors.

So on to our search for a family doctor, we used both Health Care Connect and the doctor’s database. For health care connect, we filled out the online form and waited for them to call us. Note that for you to be eligible for this program you need to:

• not have a family health care provider at this time
• have a valid Ontario Health Card
• have an up-to-date mailing address

The next day, I got a call from Health Care Connect regarding a match and gave us the contact number for us to schedule our first appointment. I called on July 20 and the earliest possible date is September 27, that’s more than two months but we booked the date nonetheless.

For the database search, we filtered the doctor’s location (near our house), language of service (Filipino) and Physician Type (Family Doctor). Database returned quite a few names mostly Filipino doctors and we filtered it out further as to which doctor is the nearest to our location. I called the clinic and was told that they’ll call me in a week or two regarding the Filipino doctor’s availability. True enough, after two weeks they called me asking when we would like to be scheduled.

We had our first appointment last September 7, this is like a meet-and-greet session and the doctor will ask you to undergo some lab tests (also covered by OHIP) in preparation for the first physical exam two weeks after. If you are lacking some vaccines, the doctor will advise you to be vaccinated during the physical exam day (I have to be vaccinated for Hepa A,B and Tetanus). We also learned that children here do not take vitamins and that Cherifer does not work. 😀

So after our first appointment with the Filipino doctor, we felt that he’s the right match for us and I notified health connect that I will not be pursuing their recommended doctor because we already found one.

Getting our Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP)

Except for the usual asthma attacks when I suffer from cold, I rarely get sick. That’s what I thought before coming to Canada. That’s the reason why we didn’t follow the advice of getting a temporary health insurance while waiting to be covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Within three months,  I had to visit a doctor twice due to staph infection. As to why I’m having it now, I have no idea. One visit to the clinic, if you are not covered under the OHIP, costs around $70 to $100. Prescription medicines are another story.

In Ontario, you need to wait for 3 months after you landed  or settled in Ontario before you become eligible for the health insurance plan. Waiting time differs depending on the province you are in. To celebrate our third month here in Toronto, we applied for our OHIP. 😀 As usual, dealing with government agencies here is easy, efficient and hassle-free, if you come prepared.

Aside from the form you have to fill-out, you need to show the following documents:

1. Proof of Canadian Citizenship or OHIP-Eligible Immigration Status – We used our COPR for this one.
2. Proof of residency in Ontario – A document that contains your name and address. I used my driver’s license for this one.
3. Proof of Identity – We used our passports.

For other documents that you can use, check this link.

Tip: Be sure that you and your spouse have at least one billing statement being physically mailed under your names as this is the easiest way to have your proof of residency.

Most of our billing statements are named after me and though we have a joint bank account, we opted for paperless statements which is not accepted as proof of residence, even if printed or photocopied. Luckily we have a Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) correspondence under my wife’s name with our address in it, she has to come back to Service Ontario to file her application the next day though.

Basically, if you are covered under OHIP, the government will pay for almost all medical needs but will not cover the following:

• Ambulance transportation services if not deemed medically necessary (maximum cost of $240).
• Routine eye examinations for people between the ages of 19 and 65.
• Glasses and contact lenses.
• Some physiotherapy may be partially covered or not at all.
• Routine dental services such as examinations, fillings, cleanings and non-surgical extractions.
• Podiatrists are only partially covered by OHIP.
• Paramedicals such as chiropractors, massage therapists, naturopaths, podiatrists, acupuncturists and osteopaths.
• Necessary emergency medical treatment obtained outside of Canada (e.g. while traveling) is only covered on a very limited basis; it is highly recommended to have travel insurance protection if traveling outside of Canada. Out of province ambulance costs are not covered.
• Prescription drugs, although assistance MAY be available.
• Any cosmetic surgery.
• Semi-private and private rooms in a hospital.

See more  details at: https://www.healthquotes.ca/OHIP-Ontario.aspx#sthash.7xyu0xgA.dpuf

Most of the services not covered by OHIP may be covered by a personal health insurance plan or through a group insurance plan usually provided by your employers.

We’ll start looking for a family doctor soon and I will share how we did it. Until next post.

 

Things to Do on the First Few Weeks

After 1.5 years of planning and preparation, we’re here in Canada and it’s really cold. Coming from a very hot summer in the Philippines, you’ll feel the coldness to your bones and it’s not even negative yet. We have to prepare for winter, it’s all that I can think of at that time.

We arrived on a Saturday night and spent the whole Sunday resting if you can call it that because we were already awake at 4 in the morning. The first thing to do is to get accustomed to the time difference. Jet lag is REAL. We needed at least two weeks to adjust. Tip, try not to sleep (including your baby) during the day and try to sleep early at night. That worked for us, adjusting our sleep and wake up time an hour per day.

With my work starting two weeks from our arrival day, we thought we have time to tour around but it’s really hard and expensive if you don’t have a car. Also, it’s very cold so most of the time we just stayed at home. Good thing my cousin and her family as well as a brother from The Feast Singapore and his family were gracious enough to tour us around and check up and help us from time to time.

The first Monday, we secured our Social Insurance Number (SIN) from a nearby Service Canada. You just have to bring your Certificate of Permanent Residency (COPR) to the office, give them your address, ensure that your name is correct and they will issue your SIN in a printed paper with your details on it (they don’t issue the card anymore). It will only take you at most 30 minutes, because yes, just like in Singapore, they are very efficient.

We also opened a bank account the same day. Most of the Banks in Toronto/Canada have programs for new residents. We were looking at Scotia Bank, TD, RBC and CIBC. All of these banks have almost the same offerings. In the end, we settled with Scotia Bank, because it’s the nearest bank near the subway station. 😀

Bring your COPR, SIN and Passport when applying for a bank account. Having a COPR will make you eligible for an unsecured credit card with a limit of $2000 (each bank may differ). Yes, you need “credit” here to build your credit score. Unless you have an awful lot of cash, you won’t be able to afford most of the necessities here without a decent credit score.

You can also start doing the following:

1. Look for work if you have none yet, hopefully it will be easier now that you’ve landed.
2. Look for a permanent house and buy a car if you need it (easier if you already have a job)
3. Apply for Canada Child Tax Benefit (http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/cctb/)
4. Apply for OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan, http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/ohip/),  but you will only be covered after three months of stay in Ontario (other province has different length of stay requirement to be eligible)
5. Apply for a Driving License (https://www.ontario.ca/page/get-g-drivers-licence-new-drivers)
6. Get a Private Health Insurance (if you want to have coverage while waiting for OHIP)

This is can also be a very good resource for new comers: http://settlement.org/downloads/First_Days_Guide_EN.pdf

So to sum everything up, you need to adjust to the cold weather, jet lag exists, try to stay awake during the day and sleep at night and most importantly, prepare yourself because you have a lot of adjusting, researching and applying to do.

Until next post.