Inflating Inflammatory Bowel Disease

This is the seventh of an eight part series exploring Ontario's decision to stop OHIP/Medicare funding for vitamin D testing.

If you suffer from Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD) and want to get your blood level of vitamin D tested in Ontario, it will also cost you $51.70. This is despite the fact that a recent study indicates that those who suffer from IBD are at a very high risk for osteoporosis and is likely to damage their skeletons without adequate vitamin D supplementation. There is absolutely no way of knowing what your level of vitamin D is without a blood test and you will have to pay to find out. How do you know how much to take without a blood test? It’s only when you actually can prove you have osteoporosis that Medicare will cover your vitamin D blood tests. Is there something wrong with this picture? Or, are doctors just going to swallow the absurd dictates of so called experts that work for the government?