Ontario Home Respiratory Services Association Calling on Government to Change Planned Cuts to Funding for Respiratory Devices During Pandemic

TORONTO, Aug. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Ontario Home Respiratory Services Association (OHRSA) is calling on the provincial government to change its plans to cut funding for Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy devices with the launch of its Access to Air is Access to Care campaign. The Government of Ontario is set to cut its fixed prices for respiratory PAP devices by more than 36 per cent on October 1, 2021, amid a pandemic when equitable, reliable access to respiratory health care has never been more important.

PAP therapy is considered gold standard treatment for Sleep Apnea Syndrome, yet the funding changes will reduce patient access to this therapy, increase the cost for Ontarians, and pose significant challenges for small businesses across the province. Current and future patients can expect an average increase of $400-$600 in costs for PAP devices, making the therapy and necessary support unaffordable for many Ontarians.

Additionally, an independent study commissioned by OHRSA confirmed that most vendors, many of which are small businesses already struggling with challenges imposed by COVID-19 and lockdowns, cannot buy PAP equipment below the new fixed prices. As a result, many will become unprofitable or be forced to change business models to compensate for lost funding and coverage for patients. As an example, many providers offer free trials and clinical support to consumers to ensure successful patient initiation and adherence to therapy, averaging about four hours of clinical services per each new client. This value-added service that reduces future care needs and costs to patients may have to be eliminated.

Ultimately, this means that if patients will not or cannot pay, many vendors will have no choice but to cut services, cease offering PAP therapy or, where this service is the vendor’s only business, close their doors altogether. In turn, access to this critical and potentially life-saving therapy will be reduced for thousands of Ontarians, alongside job losses and negative economic impacts across the province.

Compounding the problem is the impact on equitable access to care as many rural communities who rely on smaller, local clinics and main street businesses will lose services if providers are forced to close their doors. OHRSA’s independent report found that vendor closures and service reductions will impact more than 10,000 patients, mostly in rural communities, who will need to travel to large communities to obtain services and support for their therapy. Many PAP vendors also provide home oxygen therapy services and, if they have to permanently close, access to these services and respiratory care in communities across Ontario will also be reduced during the ongoing pandemic and beyond.

These cuts fail to acknowledge the impact on patients, which is why OHRSA is inviting Ontarians to voice their concerns via the Access to Air is Access to Care campaign. The initiative provides a way to call on the provincial government to repeal its cuts for PAP therapy, which is misaligned with the Ford Government’s commitments to improve health care, put an end to hallways medicine, and efforts to make Ontario open for business and more competitive. These types of changes often go under-the-radar, while small business and patients are struggling to plan for their future.

OHRSA has recommended alternative options to funding cuts that would still reduce government expenditures and sustain vendors. This includes considering a new funding model, such as maximum contribution funding for patients that have private health insurance, and the Ministry, in collaboration with the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), exploring evidence-based opportunities to streamline the sleep therapy pathway. There has been no indication to OHRSA in its ongoing dialogue with the Ministry of Health that alternative paths forward are being considered.

Ontarians can learn more about OHRSA’s Access to Air is Access to Care campaign and express support to prevent the funding cuts at https://www.supportcpapfunding.ca/.

About the Ontario Home Respiratory Services Association
The Ontario Home Respiratory Services Association represents the collective interests of 25 member firms in the home respiratory industry, which represent the vast majority of all service locations operating in Ontario. OHRSA has member representation in every region of the province.

Media Contact: 
Oliveah Friesen
ofriesen@sussex-strategy.com
519-770-2991