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CBC
22 minutes ago
- CBC
This cancer survivor celebrated her birthday by paying strangers' hospital parking fees
Krystyna Locke decided to celebrate her 63rd birthday in a very familiar place — the cancer clinic at her local hospital. The London, Ont., lymphoma survivor spent the last year fundraising to cover cancer patients' parking fees, one of the many out-of-pocket costs related to health care that can add up over time and become a burden. On Tuesday, she set up near an entrance at the London Health Sciences Centre with a stack of parking vouchers and a banner that reads: "Happy birthday to me. Your parking is free." "Today, I received hugs. I received kisses on the cheek. I shared tears with people. I shared laughter. There was joking. It just completely lightens the mood," Locke told As It Happens guest host Aarti Pole. "They're walking very heavy because they're carrying a burden, right? And when they saw my sign, they would walk up to me and, right away, a big smile on their face and they were so thankful." Locke's long cancer journey Locke can recognize that heaviness in strangers because she's experienced it herself. In 2004, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. "Walking into the cancer clinic, especially for the first time, you're terrified, you are anxious, it's unknown, and the carpet's been ripped out from under your feet," she said. "You have no idea if you're going to even survive the next year." Soon after her initial diagnosis, she says, doctors removed 26 lymph nodes from one side of her neck. But that was only the beginning of her cancer journey. Over the next two decades, she would return to the cancer clinic for regular checkups so doctors could monitor her health, until 2023, when a much more aggressive form of lymphoma developed on the other side of her neck. After that, she says, she had to undergo chemotherapy, and make more frequent visits to the London hospital's Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre. But, today, she is cancer-free. "When I was done my treatments, I just felt like I needed to do something more," she said. "I wanted to do something that would directly go to the patient. And what better way than covering their parking for the day?" Cancer's hidden costs Parking fees have long put a financial strain on patients in Canada, where health-care is free, but the associated non-medical costs are not. A Canadian Cancer Society report in December estimated cancer patients face on average almost $33,000 in out-of-pocket cancer-related costs in their lifetime, a number that's expected to rise with the cost of living. These costs, the report notes, include things like medication, lost wages, travel, caregiving, lodgings, food, and, yes, parking fees. "I've been going to the cancer clinic for over two decades, and when you're there … you do strike up conversations with other patients," Locke said. "The common theme was how long we're waiting [and] we know that that means our parking is going to cost more." At the London Health Sciences Centre, the maximum daily parking fee is $12. But at hospitals in downtown Toronto, those daily rates can be more than twice as much. A London Health Sciences Centre spokesperson acknowledged the financial burden that comes with parking fees, especially for long-term patients, but said the revenue collected goes towards the hospital's operational costs. In fact, hospitals in Ontario have to re-invest their parking fees under provincial regulations, put in place in 2016. Those rules also require institutions that charge more than $10 a day to offer patients, their family members and visitors five-day, 10-day and 30-day passes at a 50 per cent discount off the daily maximum rate. But when hospitals don't own parking lots, nearby private parking isn't subject to the rules. WATCH | The out-of-pocket costs of cancer care: Cancer costs Canadian patients $33K on average 8 months ago An NDP motion to eliminate hospital parking fees for patients, families, and health-care workers in Ontario — and cover revenue shortfalls for hospitals — was voted down in June. Nova Scotia started covering the cost of hospital parking in May for patients, health-care workers and visitors. Quebec, since 2020, has offered free parking for the first two hours at public health institutions for patients and visitors, and capped hospital parking fees at $10 a day. British Columbia ended its two-year free hospital parking in 2022, saying that too many drivers abused the system for non-health-care-related reasons. The province still covers the cost for patients receiving dialysis or cancer treatment in acute-care programs, and for parents or caregivers of children staying in the hospital overnight. While Locke says free hospital parking would be the ideal scenario, she says people who want to help ease patients' burden can do so right now by following her lead. She raised $3,700 throughout the year, first by collecting empty beer and liquor bottles from friends and family, and later by teaming up with the hospital to create a fundraising page. On Tuesday, she was able to cover parking for roughly 300 patients. "A lovely surprise," said Trish Eagleson, one of the people who received a free parking pass from Locke. "It's a wonderful initiative." While she's giving back to others, Locke says it's also a birthday gift for herself. "They brought me as much joy as I was bringing to them, because I know how they're feeling at that moment when they're walking into the clinic," she said. "It's just a wonderful feeling knowing that I was making someone happy." Locke, whose actual birthday is in July, plans to return next summer to celebrate her 64th.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
When 90% Isn't an A+: Elevance's Cost Crunch and Carelon's Cushion
Elevance Health, Inc. ELV, like most peers in the health benefits space, is contending with pressure from rising medical cost trends in ACA plans, slower Medicaid rate recovery, and higher utilization, prompting a reduction in its 2025 outlook. In the first half of the year, benefits expense surged nearly 18% to more than $72 billion, while cost of products sold climbed almost 19% to $10.3 billion. The second-quarter benefit expense ratio reached 88.9%, up 260 basis points year over year. Elevance now projects a full-year ratio of about 90%, versus 88.5% in 2024. This leaves a smaller share of premiums after paying claims, compressing margins. However, growth in the commercial segment and Carelon operations should offer support. Commercial individual memberships rose 9.7% in the first half of 2025, following a 25.6% increase in 2024. The broader commercial business, typically enjoying higher margins, is expected to sustain its expansion. Carelon's expanding value-based care model and pharmacy services will also provide a stabilizing influence. In the CarelonRx unit, growing adjusted scripts and acquisitions should drive performance, while operational gains in Carelon Health will aid the Carelon Services arm. Diversification efforts have boosted Carelon's overall revenue contribution, with segment growth of 12.4% in 2024 and a 36.8% jump in the first half of 2025. For full-year 2025, we expect it to advance nearly 30%, fueled by about 60% growth in Carelon Services alone. Together, Elevance's commercial strength and Carelon's diversified growth could help counterbalance margin pressures from elevated medical costs and funding challenges in government programs. How ELV's Peers Are Suffering? Companies like UnitedHealth Group Incorporated UNH and Centene Corporation CNC are also facing the brunt of rising medical costs. UNH's medical care ratio was 89.4% in the second quarter, which deteriorated 430 bps from the year-ago period. UnitedHealth reported Q2 adjusted EPS of $4.08, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.84. Meanwhile, Centene's health benefits ratio of 93% deteriorated 540 basis points year over year in the second quarter and came above the consensus mark of 90.82%. Centene reported adjusted loss per share of 16 cents in the second quarter, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of earnings of 68 cents. Elevance's Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates Shares of ELV have lost 20.7% in the year-to-date period compared with the industry 's decline of 3.9%. From a valuation standpoint, Elevance trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 9.19, down from the industry average of 14.57. ELV has a Value Score of A at present. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Elevance's 2025 earnings is pegged at $30.59 per share, implying a 7.4% decline from the year-ago period. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. See our %%CTA_TEXT%% report – free today! 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH): Free Stock Analysis Report Centene Corporation (CNC): Free Stock Analysis Report Elevance Health, Inc. (ELV): Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
‘It's hard to live with, but you can try to have fun': How a boy and his family got through cancer
Morgan Shannon's cancer journey can be told through the stuffed animals on his bed. When he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at two years old, he only had a few. Now, 10 years old and cancer-free, he has a mountain of them: gifts from the friends, family, and medical staff that saw him through a time of crisis. 'It's not just it's not just a disease that affects the body, it affects every aspect of you and your relationships and your family,' said Jackie Rosenhek, his mother. Rosenhek said they started noticing signs something was wrong when Morgan was two. He was lethargic and clingy; he didn't want to eat, but his stomach was rapidly expanding. They took him to the ER at the Montreal Children's Hospital, and hours later, he was undergoing emergency radiation. 'It was really shocking because we knew something wasn't right, but we never thought it was a life-threatening illness,' she said. Morgan was diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer that spread into his abdomen, bones and the base of his skull. Dr. Jitka Stankova, a pediatric oncologist, said that to shrink his aggressive tumours, he was given emergency radiation, something rarely done on a patient so young. 'We don't like in children to use radiation too much... because they are growing and it has more late effects,' she said. Morgan's two-year treatment also included chemotherapy, surgery, stem cell transplants and immunotherapy, requiring many stays at the children's hospital. While Morgan was too young to remember that time, Rosenkhek said she and her husband Grant Shannon had to deal with the trauma of seeing their child go through cancer treatment. 'There is a lot of screaming to the universe in private, and in public it was, 'Everything is fine,'' she said. 'I really had to block everything out and act like everything was normal.' Morgan Shannon Morgan Shannon was first diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at age two. (photo: Jackie Rosenhek) Although life wasn't normal, Rosenhek said the programs offered through the Montreal Children's Foundation made it easier during his stay, giving him outlets to have fun, including a tricycle to ride around the playroom. 'I'd go really fast, and the nurses would make me a speeding ticket,' said Morgan. 'I still have one, and that I still haven't paid since 2020.' He keeps a copy of the ticket in an album full of keepsakes from that time, including cards from the staff who cared for him. Stankova said while her work is vital in curing the cancer, donations given to the foundation offer the physical, social and financial support that families need to get through the crisis. 'We say that it takes a village to raise a child. It takes a village to take care of the oncology patient,' she said. Morgan is now five years cancer-free, and while he's living with permanent hearing loss and needs checkups, Rosenhek said their focus is now on the future. Morgan is now five years cancer-free Morgan is now five years cancer-free. 'He's just thriving and growing and living his life, and so we're going with that!' she said. Meanwhile, Morgan has some advice for other kids who may be given a cancer diagnosis. 'It's hard to live with it, but you can still try to have fun,' he said. Radiothon The 22nd edition of the Caring for Kids Radiothon will be held on August 21, 2025, and broadcast on Bell Media radio stations CJAD 800, 95.9 Virgin Radio and CHOM 97.7. The Caring for Kids Radiothon has raised over $29 million for the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation since its inception in 2004. Donate here.
