Eliminate the cost of cancer

Opinion

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This article was published 10/12/2024 (281 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We have all been touched by cancer in some way. We know the physical and psychological toll that it imposes on those who have been diagnosed with disease, and on those who love and care for them. What we seldom focus on, however, is the financial cost of cancer.

A new study released by the Canadian Cancer Society, reveals that the financial burden caused by the disease is far higher than many were aware of. Researchers found that the average cancer patient incurs a total of almost $33,000 in costs, including out-of-pocket expenses and lost income during treatment and recovery.

The report also found the first year after a cancer diagnosis is the costliest for people with the disease — a projected national total of $5.2 billion in 2024, which is almost one-half of the costs borne by health systems for that phase of care. Lower- and fixed-income Canadians are disproportionately affected by the cancer cost burden, while those living in rural and remote communities are forced to pay more for travel costs to receive care.

Given those costs, it’s not surprising that the report emphasizes that financial constraints can contribute to worse health outcomes. Indeed, some patients opt to delay or even forgo aspects of their treatment because of the cost. Even worse, those who need to work less or leave their job due to the illness, along with caregivers who need to take time off, risk losing their health coverage and income.

The report also found the total cost of cancer to Canadian society is expected to be $37.7 billion in 2024. It says that Canadians with cancer and their caregivers will incur 20 per cent of that cost, “amounting to a staggering $7.5 billion this year alone.” The report projects that the cost will climb to $8.8 billion annually over the next decade, due to our growing and aging population.

Finally, the report reveals that lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer, combined, are expected to account for 47 per cent of health systems costs and, combined, are projected at $14.2 billion in 2024.

The information within the report stands as the basis for several key points. First, cancer is not just hard on a patient’s body and spirit; it is also hard on their bank account. Patients incur significant costs, particularly in the first year of treatment, that are not covered by our public-funded health-care system.

Second, the cost of cancer is higher for the poor and those who must travel for treatment. That economic reality is likely having an adverse impact on treatment outcomes and survival rates.

Third, Canadian society is currently spending tens of billions annually — the figure is expected to climb even higher — on a disease that, in many instances, has a far higher survival rate if detected and treated in its early stages.

Those points emphasize the need for governments to do more to alleviate the financial burden of cancer for patients and their caregivers. That could include lowering or covering cancer drug costs, creating a caregiver tax credit, and passing stronger laws to protect cancer patients and their caregivers from losing their jobs and benefits.

Beyond that, governments must do more to break down the financial barriers that prevent many Canadians from accessing the necessary screening, treatment and ongoing care. In particular, they must do more to ensure that all Canadians — not just the wealthy and those living in urban centres — have timely access to early screening.

In that regard, the Manitoba government’s decision to lower the minimum age for breast-cancer screening to 40 within the next two years is encouraging, but it is unclear if there will be enough technologists working in our health-care system to conduct those additional tests. Beyond that, the government has not taken steps to lower age eligibility and/or improve access to screening for other common forms of cancer.

Fourth and finally, the report re-emphasizes the importance — this time from a economic perspective — of having a healthy lifestyle that minimizes the risk of cancer. That obviously includes not smoking, avoiding contact with known carcinogens, watching what we eat and exercising regularly.

Cancer is hard enough, but it shouldn’t cost you your job. It shouldn’t cost you your health coverage. It shouldn’t cost your retirement savings, and it shouldn’t cause you to go broke.

It’s time for Canada’s federal and provincial governments to take the necessary steps to improve access to early screening for cancers, and to do more to ensure that cancer patients are able to focus on their treatment and recovery, not whether they have the money to afford it.