A large majority of Canadians - 85 per cent - say if they were diagnosed with cancer the cost of drugs would have a negative impact on their personal finances, according to poll results released today by the Canadian Cancer Society.
Forty-seven per cent said the cost would have a 'major' negative impact on their finances. After being informed of the typical costs for newer cancer drugs this rose to 58 per cent, and 10 per cent said they would not be able to afford the drugs.
About three-quarters of newer cancer drugs taken at home cost over $20,000. The average cost of a single course of treatment with newer cancer drugs is $65,000 - almost as high as the average annual income of Canadians.
Newer high-priced cancer drugs introduced during the past few years have exposed gaps and disparities in Canada's patchwork system of coverage that is causing financial hardships for many cancer patients.
"It is not acceptable that cancer patients should worry about how they are going to pay for the drugs they need," says Aaron Levo, Assistant Director, Public Issues, Canadian Cancer Society. "Universality of healthcare, which is a cornerstone of Canada's public healthcare system, is being seriously threatened by this issue. The Society is alarmed and frustrated that the federal government seems to be ignoring this critical health issue for Canadians."
Poll results also show that:
- Only 34 per cent of Canadians are confident that the healthcare system will provide affordable cancer drugs.
- 74 per cent of Canadians would support a federally-funded national catastrophic drug insurance program that would pay for the full cost of prescription drugs, with no expense to the patient.
- 70 per cent of Canadians would support a federally funded national catastrophic drug insurance plan that would pay for prescription drugs based on income. (The federal government would pay for prescription drug costs exceeding three per cent of net income. All costs below this would be the responsibility of the patient, through a combination of provincial and private drug plans and the patient's money.)
"Canadians clearly support establishing a national program to help them pay for cancer drugs but, unfortunately, they are losing confidence in Canada's healthcare system to fix it," says Levo.
Variation among provinces
There are significant disparities among provinces, and between public and private insurers, about which cancer drugs are covered and to what extent. This leads to situations where a patient in one province may have to pay out of pocket for a cancer drug while a patient in another province does not. In addition, the same cancer drugs are not available in all provinces.
"The lack of a national approach to drug coverage is resulting in a disturbing shift from universal healthcare to healthcare by postal code and pocket book," says Levo.
Poll results shows that 81 per cent of Canadians would support the federal government taking action - through federally funded programs - to reduce or eliminate the provincial differences in the availability and costs of cancer drugs.
"There is an urgent need for the federal government to work collaboratively with the provinces to ensure coverage is consistent across Canada and to develop strategies to relieve the financial burden on patients," says Levo.
Paul Lapierre, Vice President, Public Affairs and Cancer Control, Canadian Cancer Society, says that with the renewal of the 2004 Health Accord fast approaching, it is time for the federal government to renew its commitment to universal, accessible, high-quality healthcare for all Canadians.
"It's shameful that Canadian families are vulnerable to high drug costs based on where they live and the situation will only get worse if the federal government continues to do nothing," says Lapierre.
Cancer Drug Access Symposium
To help find solutions to the financial impact on Canadians of rising cancer drug costs, the Canadian Cancer Society is co-hosting the second annual Symposium on Cancer Drug Access in Ottawa on Thursday, September 30. The other co-hosts are the Canadian Cancer Action Network and the Public Policy Forum.
This forum builds on the 2009 symposium which brought together for the first time representatives from across all sectors to gain a common understanding of the issues. This year senior leaders will look at specific strategies to address key gaps in cancer drug access and will focus on creating action towards workable solutions. Delegates include representatives from governments, insurance and pharmaceutical companies, volunteer groups and doctors and nurses associations. Peter Goodhand, President and CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society, will be attending and participating in a panel discussion.
"Years after promises were made by the federal government our country is still facing the same issues with high-cost drugs," says Levo. "The Canadian Cancer Society is working on solutions and we strongly urge the federal government to bring all parties to the table to do the same."
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