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The arbitrary economics of life and death

Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Apr 16 3:21pm | Replies (30)

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@surftohealth88

I have to agree, even though system so far failed us and I was angry (surveillance was too passive and hence useless) any time I feel desperation I tell myself that at least we will have many options going forward and that if were living in our country of origin my husband wouldn't even have surveillance beyond DRE and would have zero options for advanced treatments. I decided consciously not to dwell on what was wrong but to concentrate on going forward. I am also not oblivious of the prospect that one day perhaps there will not be any "forward" but that is not going to be my focus.
At the same time I could spend time lamenting about the fact that we are not living in Switzerland or Germany where all costs would be 100% covered and my husband would have 1 to 2 year payed medical leave but what is the point ? *sigh We have to do our best with what we are dealt and with what is available to us. Also, any time I feel down I come here and read about success stories shared by PC veterans and they brighten my outlook : ).
One can ask what is "bright" about PC stories, well it depends what you are looking for in any written post - to me surviving against all odds, enjoying small victories, enjoying company of loved ones, finding humor in ridiculous circumstances of PC, getting heartfelt "hug" from members and getting good advise, all are very bright, very meaningful and hope inducing. < 3

PS: I don't think that patients will ever have truly personalized care and boutique treatment unless they are VIP - very rich people and/or celebrities. It is utopia, as simple as that ...

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Replies to "I have to agree, even though system so far failed us and I was angry (surveillance..."

You're absolutely right. And strangely, even the very rich people don't always do so well, despite their access to personalised care, because they're often unwilling to take advice and mainstream treatments (after living in their wealth bubbles for so long, they've developed serious narcissism and egomania).

As you can probably guess, I'm solidly bourgeois: I have no rich ancestors that I know of, just shopkeepers, artisans, lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc, so I've hung onto my Methodist ancestors' disdain for the uber-wealthy. 🙂

As far as cost to the patient goes, we're somewhere in-between the U.S. and Switzerland/Germany here in Canada. Most medical costs are 100% covered (I just show my OHIP card at the front desk), but we don't have universal pharmacare or dental care yet.

To get your prescription drugs covered in Ontario between the age of 25–64, you need private insurance through work, to be receiving social assistance, or to be falling back on the Trillium Drug Benefit (which has a co-pay topping out at 4% of your family income). They're talking seriously about fixing that, but it hasn't happened yet. Under 25 or over 64, it's all covered with just a dispensing fee at the pharmacy (typically around $5–10).

The good news is that drugs aren't crazy expensive here, even if you had to pay full retail yourself. For example, Orgovyx costs about US $215/month, compared to around $2,700/month in the States for someone who is uninsured. Insulin is also about 20% of the cost, etc. etc.