B.C. expands support for cancer patient travel

Jennifer Keys, 40, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma last June.

Living in Terrace, B.C., with her husband and their beloved pets, whom she affectionately calls her "furry babies," Keys says she faced not only the challenges of her diagnosis but also the financial strain of travelling back and forth to Vancouver for life-saving treatment.

"Being up north here, we don't have a whole lot of access to different medical services," she told CBC News.

Now in remission, Keys says she spent over $2,000 out of pocket on her initial trips to Vancouver — costs she faced before discovering Hope Air, a charity that helps cover travel expenses for those needing medical treatment away from home.

"[If it wasn't for Hope Air] I would probably be close to $10,000 in debt right now," the Terrace resident said.

This week, the B.C. government announced an additional $20 million in funding for the Canadian Cancer Society to further support travel and lodging for cancer patients.

The announcement is welcome news for those battling cancer in rural and remote parts of the province, but it has also sparked calls for similar support for patients with other illnesses.

Last year, Hope Air received $10 million from the B.C. government to assist cancer patients with their travel costs.

However, the non-profit says it also serves patients with other medical conditions, who make up about two-thirds of the approximately 3,000 people it helped in the past year. For those patients, Hope Air says it relies on private donations and funding from the Provincial Health Services Authority.

"Support for rural residents to access treatment for cancer care is excellent and a necessary step, but I think it needs to be broader," said Jude Kornelsen, co-director of the Centre for Rural Health Research at UBC.

A 2021 peer-reviewed study led by Kornelsen found that rural residents pay an average of $2,044 in out-of-pocket expenses to access health care, including over $800 on travelling costs and about $700 on meals and accommodation.

"Almost 80 per cent also responded they had difficulty paying for these costs," she said. 

"So it leaves patients with very little recourse aside from foregoing care."

The UBC professor is calling on the province to expand its travel support program beyond cancer patients to include all individuals requiring specialized care.

This sentiment is echoed by Paul Adams, executive director of the B.C. Rural Health Network, who advocates for a more comprehensive approach to health-care support in rural areas.

"The problems that we see people continuing to face is we cannot look at things from a specific diagnosis by diagnosis basis," he said. "We are afforded the right as an insured resident to have reasonable access to care without a financial barrier."

The principle of universality and accessibility of the Canada Health Act requires that all provinces must provide access to insured health services without financial and other barriers.

Health Minister Adrian Dix acknowledged the concerns raised by advocates and researchers, stating, "They're saying we should do more, and surely that's absolutely worth considering."

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said nearly 1,400 patients from 249 communities received travel support funding through the cancer society's travel treatment fund from 2023 to 2024, representing a 742 per cent increase from the previous year.

It says 11,722 nights at Canadian Cancer Society lodges were also provided at no cost to patients last year.

As for Keys, she says she is grateful for the support she received but hopes for broader coverage that extends to all patients, regardless of their diagnosis.

"There's nothing like stressing over not being able to get to a much-needed appointment," she said. "Like, if I didn't get the chemo when I did, would I still be here now?"