For Natalie Warren, a young patient from Newfoundland, it’s a difficult challenge. First her planned carotid artery surgery in Ottawa was unexpectedly canceled. Warren faced extensive health challenges for many months. Even with great odds against her, she battled night and day all to make it to Ottawa for this life-saving surgery. On December 3, she was to have a new type of stent, called a “flow-diverter”—implanted in her right carotid artery at the Ottawa Hospital. Then, the hospital delivered the shocking news that the required stent was not in stock.
Warren’s catastrophic condition was and is the result of having dissected carotid arteries, which means the inner linings of her arteries have ripped and swollen. This critical condition drastically limits blood flow to the brain. As a result, she is at high risk for a disabling stroke. She made arrangements to stay at a hotel located across from Ottawa Hospital for a week. This will allow her to better coordinate the pre-operative evaluation, surgery, and post-operative recovery.
Unexpected Cancellation Causes Financial Strain
The impact of canceling Warren’s procedure on her health was profound. It imposed a huge financial strain on both her and her husband. Once she did get the cancellation order, she rushed to collect her receipts. Combined with the travel expenses from her trip to Ottawa, that came to $5,000. Sadly, when she applied, the state’s Medical Transportation Assistance Program (MTAP) ruled her ineligible to receive help. They coded her visit as just “getting a second opinion.”
Warren’s local neurologist had insisted that the surgery was “needed” and “out of province travel was needed.” Even with this, MTAP’s denial left her feeling frustrated and unsupported.
“I’m not getting a carotid stent for fun,” stated Warren. “It’s not a cosmetic procedure, it’s not an elective procedure, it’s something that I absolutely needed to live.”
As Warren’s condition deteriorated, she was referred to have a virtual consultation with another surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. The surgeon still strongly advised her to go to Ontario immediately due to the very high risk of stroke. Consequently, she put travel on credit cards to stay on the road for an extra week.
Health Concerns Amplified by Financial Barriers
Warren’s health troubles have been as long-running as today’s news, she suffered six mini-strokes since last July. Each event further underscored the need for her to receive surgical treatment in a timely manner. The emotional impact of juggling her healthcare and new financial worries has been insurmountable.
As the representative supporting Warren in the debate, Jim Dinn drove home the point that our healthcare system is rigged against regular people. He mentioned that despite a clear medical need, patients are still being blocked from receiving the care they need.
“The hospital was not able to get the stent,” Warren explained. “I had been so unwell for several months and had fought so hard to get to Ottawa.”
Dinn told the committee that he was troubled by the inequities experienced by patients from Newfoundland.
“Even when it gets to my level, they’re still not gonna fund it fully,” he remarked. “The person’s still out of pocket for a procedure that could not be done here and if she’d waited any longer for the approval she’d probably be dead.”
Dinn slammed the process as being penalizing to patients who require immediate treatment.
“It’s almost like they’re punishing people for being sick,” he said. “They’re very good at entangling people and not lifting them up.”
A Call for Change in Healthcare Access
Warren’s lived experience illustrates the systemic barriers that exist in Canada’s healthcare system. She wanted to make sure to communicate her anger at being at a systemic disadvantage because of where she lived.
“Because I’m in Newfoundland and I’m a Newfoundlander, it’s like I don’t have the right to the same standard of care as everybody else in Canada,” she shared.
As she navigates through the challenges of obtaining necessary treatment and dealing with financial strain, Warren reflected on the bureaucratic hurdles she faces.
“All of these hoops that you’re forced to jump through, the denials, the roller-coaster of it all, should any of that have happened? No.”
