Ontario court orders new OHIP review of out-of-country cancer treatment

An Ontario court has ordered the province’s health insurer to take another look at coverage for a Stage 4 melanoma patient seeking treatment in the United States. Judges said the earlier OHIP denial did not provide enough explanation for why the request was rejected. Alex Shved, a 37yearold father, had asked Ontario Health Insurance Plan to fund tumourinfiltrating lymphocyte therapy after his oncologist recommended it. The request was denied twice before Shved asked the Divisional Court to review the decision. In a split ruling, the court said the government’s stated concern about affecting future drug price negotiations was not supported with enough reasoning. The panel ordered OHIP to issue a new decision by the end of next week. Shved said he hopes the review will lead to approval so he can continue fighting the disease while he remains stable enough for treatment.