Ontario NDP Leader Horwath promises take-home cancer drug coverage

TORONTO — NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is promising universal access to take-home cancer drugs if her party wins the spring election.

Horwath says an NDP government would spend $42 million each year to cover patients whose health insurance plans don’t currently cover those types of drugs.

In Ontario, cancer drugs administered in hospitals are free but take-home drugs often have a cost.Horwath says the majority of new cancer treatments being released are of the take-home variety, which means the fees for those medications can be substantial, putting necessary drugs out of reach for some people.

She says the NDP would cut down on the stress cancer patients are already experiencing.

The promise is on top of the NDP’s pledge to spend $1.2 billion to increase base hospital funding.

“It’s a plan that’s not only affordable but necessary,” Horwath said of the cancer-drug pledge. “It’s just such a stress for these folks who are already struggling with the diagnosis.”

Horwath added that her plan is increasingly necessary in today’s “gig economy” where people are working jobs without benefits.

“We believe this is the best way forward,” she said. “We wish that every single worker had benefits at work but we know that’s not the case.”

Ontario heads to the polls on June 7.