Access Denied

Remember when Sarah Palin referred to "death panels" and she was laughed at? Remember when Obama made some obscure claim that Americans were going bankrupt because health-care in the US was too expensive?



A report from the Canadian Cancer Society has found that cancer patients have limited or no access to life-saving drugs.



From the report:



The report, released Monday, says patients in some provinces will have cancer drugs covered under comprehensive insurance plans, while those in other jurisdictions must pay some or all of the cost from their own pockets.



And with most newer cancer drugs carrying price tags that can run into thousands of dollars, the burden of paying for life-saving treatments can mean financial disaster for some Canadians, the society says.



Although cancer medications given in hospital are paid for by the health-care system, that isn't the case once a patient is discharged, said Demers. "If they're administered at home, the individual is responsible for paying for them."
The coverage varies widely from province to province.



From the Canadian Cancer Society website:





According to the Canada Health Act, only drugs provided during a hospital stay are provided free of charge.


45% of cancer drugs were administered outside of hospitals in 2006 and often the patient is responsible for paying for their treatment.


One-fifth of Canadians are not insured for routine drug costs.


Spending on drugs is the fastest growing expenditure of the health care system and is expected to grow faster (8.3%) than spending on hospitals (5.8 %) or physicians (6.2 %).


The working poor, middle-class and self-employed who have paid into the health system all of their lives are the most vulnerable, and many are unaware of the situation until they face a cancer diagnosis.
Significant disparities exist between drug plans as to what drugs are covered and/or how they can be used. These discrepancies are based largely on individual provinces’ cost-containment goals the priority of cancer within a province’s healthcare system
how appropriate utilization of drugs is defined the drug plan’s interpretation of what constitutes acceptable value for money.



Who would have thought?