A cancer diagnosis can also be a 'financial double-whammy.' Here's what advocates want to change

Amina Zafar · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 26, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

This communicative is portion of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a play investigation of wellness and aesculapian subject quality emailed to subscribers connected Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you tin bash that by clicking here.

A 4th of a cardinal Canadians are diagnosed with crab each year.

When that happens, says Stephen Piazza, manager of advocacy for the Canadian Cancer Society, radical request to absorption connected their attraction program and telling household members — not budgeting for aesculapian expenses.

"The past happening you request is to past deliberation astir however bash I equilibrium my chequebook this month?" said Piazza.

But a survey conducted for the nine suggested astir 1 successful 5 crab patients recovered it hard to wage household expenses, and 40 per cent saw their status savings suffer.

People accessing crab attraction whitethorn conflict to spend mundane lodging oregon rent increases connected apical of caller costs related to treatment.

While galore of the costs associated with attraction are covered by provincial wellness plans oregon backstage insurance, galore aren't.

Costs see devices, physiotherapy, and question to clinics paid for by Canadians who are surviving with cancer, are successful remission, oregon are nary longer being actively treated. The crab society's December 2024 study estimated that adds up to astir $33,000 connected mean implicit a patient's lifetime.

Along with mislaid income owed to clip disconnected work, it's a "double-whammy," accidental experts.

WATCH | Out-of-pocket crab expenses: 

That's wherefore this national election, the Canadian Cancer Society is calling for taxation changes and different solutions to boost affordability.

What the nine proposes

In general, Piazza said Canadians are fortunate to beryllium capable to entree precocious prime crab care.

But outgo is simply a obstruction that leaves a immense intelligence interaction connected people, helium said, erstwhile crab attraction should beryllium genuinely universal.

In Canada's occidental provinces and bluish territories, take-home crab drugs and those administered successful the infirmary are some covered, but that's not the lawsuit successful Ontario and the Atlantic provinces for oral crab medication, the nine said. In Quebec, anyone without backstage security pays a nationalist security premium aft which take-home crab medications are afloat covered.

The nine said the adjacent national authorities tin marque crab attraction much affordable successful respective ways:

• Change the Canada caregiver credit, which tin beryllium claimed by radical who enactment their spouse oregon different household subordinate with carnal oregon intelligence impairment, to marque it refundable.

• Expand fiscal enactment programs.

• Reduce out-of-pocket costs.

Piazza said if the caregiver taxation recognition were refundable, the diligent receives wealth backmost adjacent if they beryllium taxes, which helps radical surviving successful the lowest-income bracket wage for services extracurricular of the hospital.

Cancer's fiscal treble whammy

Michael Prince, a prof of societal argumentation astatine the University of Victoria, welcomed the suggested alteration to the caregiver taxation credit.

The idiosyncratic and their household whitethorn not lone spot a nonaccomplishment of net during cancer, but they're besides incurring out-of-pocket expenses for indispensable medications and services.

WATCH | Cancer among those aged 18 to 39: 

"It's benignant of a treble whammy," Prince said.

Prince notes idiosyncratic other successful the household whitethorn besides person to chopped backmost connected their moving hours to enactment the individual.

As middle-income Canadians speech astir affordability, Prince said those with little income and radical with disabilities proceed to struggle. He's successful favour of making the recognition refundable to assistance them.

Federal enactment taxation recognition commitments

A spokesperson for the Canadian Cancer Society said the national Conservative and Green parties committed to making the Canada caregiver taxation recognition refundable and included it successful the costing of their platforms.

The Bloc Québecois did not see that committedness successful its platform, but successful its effect to the society's questionnaire connected the topic, it said "The Bloc Québécois is committed to reviewing the taxation recognition for caregivers truthful that it becomes refundable."

The Liberal Party did not perpetrate specifically to making the Canada caregiver recognition refundable, but did perpetrate to proceed to beforehand its National Caregiving Strategy, which includes "simplified and accrued entree to authorities benefits and services, and amended coordinating connected emotional, financial, and applicable enactment with the provinces and territories."

The NDP did not marque immoderate circumstantial commitments regarding fiscal supports for caregivers successful its platform, though a spokesperson told CBC News that the enactment supports the call.

Broaden presumption of accommodations, disablement adept says

Considering astir a 4th of adults oregon 8 cardinal Canadians self-identify arsenic having a disability, according to Statistics Canada, Prince besides suggests shifting distant from reasoning of workplace accommodations arsenic peculiar breaks.

Instead of assuming lone a conception of the colonisation needs accommodations, see including everyone trying to find work-life equilibrium enactment oregon moving remotely.

"It's astir workers," Prince said.

Employers, unions and security providers could besides assistance radical aft their crab attraction ends.

For example, the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan provides its members with one-on-one guidance from oncology nurses, connections to oncologists for 2nd opinions and specialized counsellors providing intelligence enactment and coping strategies.