Cancer Treatments are funded in the hospital but not at homeSit Down for This

CanCertainty Coalition, 74 percent of people in Ontario believe that if needed, take-home cancer treatments are paid for by the Ontario health care system. Yet despite reports, roundtables, and calls from the broad cancer community, patients in Ontario between 25 and 64 years still continue to face significant out-of-pocket costs and delays for take-home cancer treatments.
For melanoma, several oral (take-home) cancer drugs are already essential components of evidence-based treatment, and the pipeline of new treatments includes seven more take-home cancer treatments.
The CanCertainty Coalition, the united voice of 35 Canadian patient groups, cancer health charities, and caregiver organizations from across the country, is currently checking in with Ontarians to find out where they stand on the state of cancer care in Ontario in advance of the provincial election in June.

“We’re finding that excellence in cancer care – regardless of where the treatment is administered hospital or at home – is top-of-mind for the majority of people in Ontario,” said Robert Bick, co-lead of the CanCertainty Coalition.

The poll results to-date have found:

• 71% of people in Ontario want their candidates to make a commitment to
cancer reform before the election.
• 86% of people in Ontario believe all Ontarians should have the same level
of coverage for cancer treatments as their elected representative.
• 55% of people in Ontario said cancer drug funding will be a consideration
in how they vote. (25% are still undecided.)

“One in two Canadians are expected to face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, and the majority of cancer patients will require a take-home cancer drug,” continued Bick. “We know cancer is an important issue for the people of Ontario. We need a commitment to cancer reform in Ontario now.”
To date, two of the three major political parties in Ontario have made commitments to address the issues of inequities in the way in-hospital and at-home cancer medications are treated. The Ontario PCs included the funding for take-home cancer medications in their platform released in November 2017. In April 2017, the Ontario NDP made a commitment to improving access to take-home cancer medications in their Vision for Ontario.

Canada’s Western provinces all treat take-home cancer drugs and hospital-administered cancer drugs on an equal basis. In Quebec, provincial insurance caps out-of-pocket medication expenses at approximately $1,000 per year. Such programs are urgently needed, not only in Ontario but Atlantic Canada as well. Add your name today!
The CanCertainty Coalition has also launched a petition calling for all parties to commit to immediate cancer reform in Ontario that will enable all cancer patients to access safe, high-quality treatment and care without delay or out-of-pocket costs before the provincial election on June 7. To show your support and add your name click here or at www.cancertainty.ca.

The Melanoma Network of Canada has been a member of the CanCertainty Coalition since its inception in 2014. To learn more, visit www.cancertainty.ca.
The CanCertainty Coalition is the united voice of 35 Canadian patient groups, cancer health charities, and caregiver organizations from across the country, joining together with oncologists and cancer care professionals to significantly improve the affordability and accessibility of cancer treatment. Learn more and get involved at www.CanCertaianty.ca or www.facebook.com/cancertainty.