What you need to know to survive a critical illness

You need…

• Information on your options, and what each means.
• An advocate to help you make the right choices.
• Timely access to qualified medical practitioners.
• Money to pay for unexpected bills or make up for lost income.

When you suspect or are diagnosed with a critical illness, time is of the essence. It’s fine to wait your turn for the specialist and for tests. But when your health and possibly your life are at stake, you can’t afford to fool around.

You can’t afford to wait.

A recent Fraser Report comparing all OECD countries confirmed Canada’s rank in the bottom third for medical technology and bottom fifth for physicians per capita. Wait times in Canada average about 17 weeks and reflect the time between a GP making a referral and the start of treatment. The time it takes for a GP to order tests and get an initial assessment is not included and would increase wait times even further.

In 2009, the Ontario Health Quality Council stated, “Many Ontarians still wait too long for urgent cancer surgery, MRI scans and to see specialists.” In Ontario, about 140,000 people wait for CT scans or MRI’s every month. Long waits, unavailable procedures and poor physician access are causing many to look elsewhere for tests, diagnoses and treatment – often to the United States.

Forewarned is forearmed.

While there is nothing you can do to change a system badly in need of repair, there is much you can do to protect yourself from the problem.

Bottom line, you need help!

Based on our research…

• 73% of Canadians would be willing to travel outside their region for tests or treatment if they could get them faster
• 86% believe that a person has the right to spend their own money on getting better health care
• 77% believe Canadians should have access to a combination of public and private healthcare

You need help to understand your options and navigate our complex health care system.

You need to find a way to shorten the time between an initial and confirmed diagnosis. You need a knowledgeable advocate to help arrange tests…speed up your treatment…advise you on treatment options…and answer your questions. You need someone you can trust and who will be there for you throughout your illness. Plus, you need money to take care of extraordinary expenses, make up for lost wages and pay for faster treatment not covered by your Provincial plan. Find our where to get this.»