B.C. woman who'd been paying out of pocket for cancer care finally gets coverage

A Coquitlam woman who was forced to pay for part of her own cancer care treatment for the past 14 months is relieved her drug protocol is now being fully covered by the B.C. government.

Kari Taylor Atkins was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, and her treatment included Herceptin, a common medication that is paid for by the province. When her cancer returned and spread to her brain, doctors recommended she continue with Herceptin and also begin taking two new medications that the drug companies offered her free of charge under compassionate care.

But Taylor Atkins was shocked to learn if she started taking those new drugs to treat her brain tumours, the province would no longer cover Herceptin for her breast cancer.

Multi-drug cancer treatment protocols need to be approved, and while the new brain cancer drugs were given the green light for use, their cost had not yet been negotiated by the government.

“The drugs are put together as a protocol in a bundle, and until that bundle of drugs is approved, they are not approved as individuals,” said Taylor Atkins. “It had never occurred to me, never at all occurred to me, that the drugs would be required but not paid for.”

A STRESSFUL TIME 

Kari’s husband Matthew Atkins was outraged.

“The drug is called Herceptin, it’s for people with HER-2 positive cancer, it’s in the name. If it’s not for her, who are we saving it for? And they just wouldn’t give it up over a paperwork issue, because they haven’t finalized that protocol yet,” Atkins said.

In order to keep her three-drug treatment plan, Taylor Atkins had to pay out of pocket for IV infusions of Herceptin at a private clinic. In the past 14 months, it’s cost the couple nearly $18,000.

“It’s been a stressful time knowing every Monday before the treatment, the pharmacy would phone and basically say we are here, we have your drugs ready to mix, we just need to make sure you can afford to pay for them,” said Taylor Atkins.

“You have to make a choice between life-saving medication for your loved one and putting food on the table,” her husband added. .

LONG-AWAITED PROVINCIAL APPROVAL 

Last week, the couple finally got word the three-drug protocol has been fully approved and will now be covered by the province.

“For many people, this would be a victory. For me, it feels like we are finally at the end of getting punched in the face. Of course you are happy that it stopped, but at some point you want to stop and look back and say, 'Well, why was I getting punched in the face for the last 14 months?” said Atkins.

He and his wife say the drug protocol approval process needs to be sped up, and there should be better communication with and support for patients.

“You’re up against this big wall of government you get no response from, and it becomes very, very daunting,” Atkins said. 

In a statement, Health Minister Adrian Dix said: "I am glad to hear this drug treatment protocol is now covered, so this patient and her family will no longer need to pay out of pocket. We recognize the process can be long and this puts stress on patients and their loved ones, especially at a time when they need to focus on their health.”

Dix said there is a formal and rigorous process to determine which new oncology drugs are approved for funding and added to the BC Cancer drug benefit list. “The drug treatment protocol, in this case ,went through this process and is now funded, which is great news,” his statement said.

Taylor Atkins is relieved she no longer needs to pay for part of her cancer care, but knows others are still shouldering that burden.

“There are other patients in a similar situation with a different drug protocol but have the same problem where they have to pay for it themselves,” she said.

Taylor Atkins and her husband are now advocating for changes to the way drugs are approved, so other patients don’t have to choose between paying the rent and paying for treatment.