STD testing, toronto/hamilton area: anonymous?

[danaeris]

So, in the US a lot of people get tested anonymously because health insurance companies are eeeevil.

Is there a good reason to get tested anonymously in Canada, or are we relatively safe from discrimination for getting tested frequently? Also, what does OHIP cover in this regard?

If you've gone to an anonymous testing clinic in the hamilton or toronto area, where did you go, did they do the full batch, and were you happy with the service there (how much did it cost)?

Comments

[outcastspice.livejournal.com]

there's all sorts of free anonymous testing in TO. i don't know where, but i know it exists. :) check out the gaybourhood.

[neuroptik.livejournal.com]

*waves atcha from Boston*

We keep losing track of each other with LJ name changes. ;)

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

Actually, my libertarian instincts say that getting anonymous testing is even more important in Canada than it is here. Here the people who pay for it are insurance companies, who do evil corporation things like deny coverage or demand reasons for doing STD testing. However, up there the people who pay for it are the government, which can do far, far worse evils than a corporation. Profiling, quarentee, etc. etc. etc. Unlikely sure, but five years ago I'd've said that Roe vs. Wade couldn't get overturned and gays would never be able to get married. An El Nino political climate is all it takes for that information to suddenly get used against you.

Anonymous testing means no one, from your parents or a crazy ex (or divorced spouse) via the court system to corporation or the government, can use that information against you. It's like encrypting e-mail messages, or refusing to use Gmail because it saves your inbox on their servers - some people are sufficiently paranoid to pay for everything in cash, and some aren't. I've seen enough persecution for one's sex life to be extremely wary of letting the government get that sort of info, except as an anonymous statistic. . .

[angel-thane.livejournal.com]

Medical records are protected information. The gov't couldn't read them even if they wanted to.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

Can it be subpoenaed by a court? Last I checked, the answer was yes. In which case, you're right about the gov't (unless it decided to change the rules, which it could in theory since it makes the rules), but the specifics (crazy ex, parents, etc.) still apply. So I'd still go for anonymous testing, at least until there's no social stigma attached to having multiple sex partners or catching an STD.

off-topic?

[cos]

Whatever happened to this post? All the comments are still screened (I assume other people commented)

Re: off-topic?

[caiteag.livejournal.com]

I agree, I know I responded.. I'd like to know what others said too... we'll behave :)

[caiteag.livejournal.com]

I've been tested at an anonymous clinic in Toronto... Anonymous testing IS important because not only does the Government or anyone else have the ability to go to court and get your records if you do it through your dr... but insurance companies can refuse to insure you if you have been tested by your doctor because even if you test negative for EVERYTHING, they see you as high risk because you were tested at all.

[jodymeme.livejournal.com]

I don't know a blessed thing about health care in Ontario, but it is confidential in British Columbia, and HIV tests can be completely anonymous. Most provincial health programs are similar in all regards, so I assume it is probably the same there. You can also seek out free clinics, there should be at least one in Toronto. Or place a call to a women's health centre and ask if they have any suggestions.