Average out-of-pocket cost for transplant patients.
Travel Costs to Access Medical Care are Inequitable.
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Inequities exist within Canada's public healthcare system, including geographic disparities that impact access to care.
Certain groups such as transplant patients are required to relocate as 100% of transplants occur in Vancouver. If one resides outside of the Lower Mainland, they must find accommodation for several months and house a full-time caregiver. ​​​​​​​​
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Few qualify for accommodation assistance through the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. One's household income must be under $50,000 and even then, many patients cannot access this.
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Access to life-saving treatment should not only be available to those who are fortunate enough to live within the Lower Mainland or who have access to financial resources for treatment-related expenses.​​​​​
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37% of transplant patients are from outside of the Lower Mainland and face financial obstacles related to housing. View Tranplant Stats by Health Authority
Out-of-Pocket Cost Study for Transplant Patients
Spotlights those who fall through the gap when it comes to funding.
Supported by MOSDPR
Can Afford Cost
Everyone Else
Resort to loans, credit card debt, lines of credit.
Set up gofundme campaigns to save their life.
Look for help through NGOs and hope for
openings at places like Heart Transplant Home Society.
Balance burden of relocation and income generation, specifically caregivers.
Decide to forgo treatment which hinders their health and the health care system itself, especially in smaller communities.
Vancouver’s unaffordable housing market exacerbates stress for patients; 1% vacancy rate.
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​Hotel shortages send off-the-rack room rates through the roof.
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Recent short-term-rental regulations limit Airbnb-type spaces.
$6,000 a month for three and a half months just to live there, you know… that would’ve wiped me out. You know, I would’ve been, “Okay, what’s going to happen? I’m going to live, but how am I going to live post-transplant …?” I have a house, you know? There’s things… that [have] got to be done.
...it's not like we're tourists. We're there fighting for our lives. So why are you changing your rate? Because they can, because they know they've got us in a position where we're between a rock and a hard place.
I understand that you think that's a deal, but how would you feel if you were paying $150 a night for 30 days? Like that's $7,000. Do you think that anyone can actually afford that?
...but it was over $4,000 a month, and we couldn't have done that, not on top of maintaining this place and having to the extra expenses of eating there”. Another facetiously noted that “We wouldn't have been able to do it if I if we had to put out, I would have to be robbing banks for months beforehand.
Purpose-built Housing Adjacent to Medical Centres Needed Now!
Ronald McDonald House
73 rooms conveniently located
near BC Children's Hospital.
The answer is to create housing for any patient - not just a transplant recipient - and to remove travel costs and logistical barriers for any British Columbian traveling within the province for care.
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HiH asks for an endorsed provincial policy to provide funding and create accessible accommodation by developing housing options adjacent to health services for anyone who needs to travel for healthcare.
This will remove the logistical and financial stressors for British Columbians in need of help accessing care and create equitable access.​ We ask this as it aligns with the Canada Health Act 12(1)(a).
​​Furthermore, the provincial government must action the endorsed policy resolution from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities to provide access to affordable housing.
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Affordable + Available = Accessible
Most importantly, HiH recognizes the need for secured funding and desires a travel treatment fund for all. With an umbrella approach and the amalgamation of funds, the province could create a budget line item resulting in reliable programming and improve system inefficiencies. An example of this would be to redirect the amount of money spent on bookings at places like the Sandman Hotel and instead, build and operate a patient hotel for all programs to utilize. Oncology patients have benefited from a 2-year commitment of $20 million but this is only temporary and jeopardizes foundations like Hope Air with a "no patient left behind" policy desperate to help patients with travel needs. We want to make sure everyone has the chance to receive care and feel strongly about everyone receiving a transplant if they need one. Organs need to be distributed fairly and medical care in BC needs to be accessed fairly.​
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