Should PSA test be free for all men in B.C.?

KELOWNA – B.C. is one of the few provinces in Canada that doesn’t cover routine PSA screenings under the medical services plan.

The cost for the test, which is used to screen men for prostate cancer, will only be picked up by the government if a doctor orders the test for at-risk or already diagnosed patients.

Now some Okanagan residents are urging B.C. to follow in the footsteps of other provinces and make the test free for all men.

“Early detection is what it’s all about and it’s obviously a cause for concern in men over 40,” says Kelowna resident Norm Millross, who says he gets the test done annually.

Another Okanagan resident, Bob Charron, who helps organize the Okanagan Motorcycle Ride for Dad event every year, says not making the test free for all men prevents some of them from getting it.

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“If PSA test were covered by B.C. Health. How many more men would include it in their preventative health care plan? How many more men would be diagnosed early, treated and cured?,” says Charron.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "If PSA test were covered by B.C. Health. How many more men would include it in their preventative health care plan? How many more men would be diagnosed early, treated and cured?," says Charron.

In an e mail statement, the Ministry of Health says not everyone has to pay for the prostate test. It says only men considered in good health have to pay for it.

According to the Ministry, “the test is fully funded, however, for the evaluation of men with symptoms, the detection of early recurrence in men with prostate cancer, and for monitoring established prostate cancer cases. In 2013/14, MSP paid for approximately 280,000 PSA tests, at a cost of $3.26 million.”

The test measures the levels of prostate-specific antigens (PSA’s) in a man’s blood. The theory is that the higher the levels of PSA’s in a man’s blood, the more likely it is he has prostate cancer. Last year, guidelines were released by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care saying the PSA test is no longer effective and that is another reason the Ministry of Health says the test isn’t free for everyone.

READ MORE: Should you get a prostate screening test? New guidelines are against it

“The B.C. Cancer Agency recommends against broad population-wide PSA screening because of the potential for over-diagnosis, over-treatment and detriment to quality adjusted survival. But, they do recommend informed decision-making for individuals,” according to the Ministry of Health statement.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The B.C. Cancer Agency recommends against broad population-wide PSA screening because of the potential for over-diagnosis, over-treatment and detriment to quality adjusted survival. But, they do recommend informed decision-making for individuals," according to the Ministry of Health statement.

However, not everyone agrees with the guidelines.

“There are new studies coming out all of the time on the effectiveness of things and it’s not going to work if you don’t use it,” says Millross.

Patients in B.C. who are healthy and haven’t shown signs of prostate cancer are charged $30 for the test.