Quick question, I ordered supplies in USD, how would that work under the government grant? My work insurance company wants to see the receipts up to the amount of the grant and they will cover any additional costs for the year.

So, for the grant, you are free to spend it wherever you like, provided you're spending it on ostomy supplies. Private insurance tends to only cover Canadian orders (at least mine does), but I've had no problem showing my insurance company that I've spent my grant money in the US - they just want to see that you've used up the grant money.

I hope that helps and I hope you aren't given any trouble.

I compared ostomysale.ca pricing for the items I just ordered from CanMedDirect.ca. The latter had better pricing in every instance and included free shipping.

I am a local mobile retailer of Ostomy supplies. I just don't sell them, I also help troubleshoot issues and save people money by doing so. I am a product specialist. I keep my pricing low with free delivery but I can not compete with online pricing. I know where my supplies are coming from and are within expiry date and how they are stored. With online there is no guarantee of this. I also am available to help with issues 24 hrs a day 7 days a week. Please think twice ordering on line. I put my heart and soul into my business and supporting My Ostomates.

Lisa, thank you for your comment. It sounds like you go well above and beyond what most online or even local stores offer. You are what I would consider a value-added supplier, and I have no doubt that your service offers more to ostomates than nearly any online supplier.

If I had a place like yours around, you'd be my first choice. Unfortunately, my experience with local suppliers has been less than ideal: them not wanting to help with insurance filings, even though they can process orders directly with my insurance company; or charging well above a reasonable price for supplies; to generally not being very helpful.

There is no substitute for the service it sounds like you provide, so thank you for being that kind of supplier!

I have struggled with paying for my ostomy supplies here in Canada.I have had to order my supplies from China.Even though the quality is not the greatest it had made it possible for me to afford them.I really dont understand why in Canada that these products are so extremely expensive.And as you have said in many other countries they can be free or at least affortable ..No person should ever have to suffer with this expensive medical product that is needed.
Thankyou for all your advice and suggestions.

Kim, I'm really sorry to hear that and it should never be the case where we can't afford supplies in our own country. What province/territory do you live in? If you're in Ontario, we do have the ostomy grant which I highly recommend. I also suggest looking at insurance to help pay for the difference.

@Kim Merlin-Smith

We are luck here in the Uk that if your ostomy is permanent or you have cancer that the supplies are all free. they have to be first prescribed by a stoma nurse and approved by the local General practitioner (GP) practice. for temporary stoma then there is a prescription cost which is generally a lot less that the supplies actually cost. the only difficulty is they start you on the cheapest cost supplies and you have to show the need for the more expensive items and they sometime substitute items.

The oddity is if here if the bag needs to be changed for a different model then the previous supplies cannot be returned. Hence we have a lot of medicine and medical supplies that is clinically disposed of when still usable. That's why the other month I offered on this site a big box of supply's for postage costs only, still looking for a home.

On your personal note I hope Eric's suggestion of the grant bares some fruit for you

If Canada adopts a similar model to the Uk's NHS in the future it would save a lot of hardship although its not without its problems and pressure in the current world model

Do you have any information that you can share with me regarding financial support in the Yukon and Northwest Territories' I am working on a project for Bladder Cancer Canada to provide web page access and information for our peer support volunteers regarding Urostomy support. I have most info for provinces completed but can not find any specific support or application process for either of the above.

Any help would be much appreciated
regards Clarence Sprin

@veganostomy . . . Eric, do you know if this Ostomy Grant is in your province only & not in B.C.??  I feel like I've been chasing unicorns here, lol.  Would there  by chance be another name for this Ostomy Grant ?  Thank you in advance. 

Posted by: @dlkfiretruck

@veganostomy . . . Eric, do you know if this Ostomy Grant is in your province only & not in B.C.??  I feel like I've been chasing unicorns here, lol.  Would there  by chance be another name for this Ostomy Grant ?  Thank you in advance. 

In BC, you'll want to check this out:

Pharmacare Program

Fair PharmaCare plan inquiries:

Fair PharmaCare Administration
PO Box 9655 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9P2

All other PharmaCare inquiries:

PharmaCare
PO Box 9655 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9P2

PHONE: 1-800-663-7100
WEBSITE

I'm not sure if it's even comparable, as the Ontario grand does not require any kind of "plan" to be joined. If you do find out more, please let me know!

The disability tax credit is still the "best" one to get, and that's across Canada. 

Hi Clarence,

Admittadly, information on programs for the Yukon and NWTs isn't as easy to come by.

For support in the Yukon, I would suggest this page: https://yukon.ca/en/get-help-costs-if-you-have-chronic-disease-or-disability

For the NWTs, very little information exists, at least specifically pertaining to ostomies. However, you might want to get in touch with Health and Social Services ( https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en) to see what programs they offer.

If you do end up learning more, please let me know so I can update the page. Good luck!

@veganostomy  ... Thank you so much Eric!  I'm finding if you want anything & it has to do with Gov't.  Its like trying  to dig a hole in a block of cement. No one at the Incomtax office tells you diddly squat either. Its the most ridiculous thing ever to deal with. 

I am covered by Pharmacare, B C. Medical but thats all I can get out of them for now. I'm still working on it but it takes HOURS GALORE on the telephone. Ugh! 

@dlkfiretruck Yeah, it's pretty crazy that patients have to essentially play detective to get support they are entitled to. Good luck!

@veganostomy the disability tax credit is good, but it’s geared to income, so income determines how good it is.  It’s notoriously difficult to get - I’ve heard so many stories from ostomates who were denied acceptance. And I heard also from an elderly man who said his doctor told him he wasn’t eligible for it. So much misinformation out there.

Don’t forget, all you Canadians, that if you buy your ostomy supplies at Shoppers Home Health (now called Wellwise in Ontario) you can get 20 times the points on your PC Optimum on certain days. That works out to be about 30% of the total. Best to have the app to find out when it’s offered. You can use those points to buy groceries or more ostomy supplies.

Laurie

@tigerlily Great points! (no pun intended!)

I do have to check out the PC Optimum offers. Since I'm paying out of pocket for everything (minus what the grant covers), I'm always looking to save. 

EDIT: Hmm, I just checked the Wellwise site to see what they're welling the Hollister appliance I'm using for, and it's considerably higher than my current supplier. (screenshot attached).

@veganostomy yikes! That’s quite a markup! Assuming that the 20 times the points adds up to about 30%, it would still save you a bit of money, but not as much as you’d hope. It definitely wouldn’t make sense to buy there without the 20 x the points deal. Thanks for pointing out the markup. 

For me, it doesn’t matter as much since my extended medical benefits covers 80% of the cost of ostomy supplies. But that’s not the case for everyone, so it’s good to understand the bottom line.

Laurie

I have not personally looked into this in Alberta, as my work medical covers 100%. My doctor and nurses mentioned it. Hope it is a good thing.

https://www.alberta.ca/aadl-benefits-covered.aspx