A Blurred Line Between Health Care and Politics

Ontario's recent controversy over cancer drugs shows how politicized health care has become.

Jill Anzarut was recently diagnosed with cancer, but the treatment she needed, a drug called Herceptin, was not covered by Ontario health insurance because her tumor was too small. Anzarut brought the issue to the press, and now Ontario health minister Deb Matthews has announced plans to expand drug coverage in the province. Should politics really play this kind of role in deciding what kind of medicine is available?