Kitchener, Ont. amputee may have to pay $67K for prosthetic leg due to outdated provincial funding program

CTV’s Spencer Turcotte hears the plight of an amputee who says a lack of provincial funding may mean she has to pay tens of thousands for a prothesis.

A Kitchener, Ont. woman, whose leg was amputated earlier this year, has hit a financial roadblock in her plan to get a prosthetic leg.

Lynn Helwig has adjusted quite well since she had the operation.

“I ended up with a big blood clot in my shin that got infected, so they had to remove it,” she said.

Helwig does not want to be confined to a wheelchair, but the provincial funding program has fallen far behind the cost of prosthetics.

“I was told that [Ontario’s Assistive Devices Program] covered 75 per cent of all this kind of stuff,” she explained.

Helwig later learned it was more complicated. ADP helps people with long-term physical disabilities pay for customized equipment and will cover 75 per cent of an approved price for certain components. That means the program covers certain parts of a prosthetic – not the entire thing.

Considering the pricing review hasn’t been updated since 2008, Helwig is left with some pretty pricey options.

“[Doctors] said that, because I have an active lifestyle, the microprocessor leg would be much more suitable for me so that I’m able to move around and go to work and function better,” she said.

Here is what the cost breakdown would look like, based on price estimates provided to Helwig from a prosthetics service in Kitchener:

• Total price for prosthetic: $73,836
• ADP Portion that will be covered: $6,432
• What client has to pay: $67,404

In an email to CTV News, the Ministry of Health said, in part: “As is the case with all devices part of the ADP price and funding reviews, leg prosthetics follow the ADP’s regular business review process which takes into account the average annual client cost and are adjusted following a diligent review period. No additional reviews are planned for this time.”

Even the quotes Helwig received for more basic mechanical legs, the price is still hefty, despite Helwig saying they only have the capabilities of a “traditional peg leg.”

Here are the cost breakdowns of her other two options:

Option #1

• Total price for prosthetic: $16,469
• ADP portion that will be covered: $6,432
• What client has to pay: $10,037

Option #2

• Total price for prosthetic: $19,794
• ADP portion that will be covered: $6,432
• What client has to pay: $13,362

“Let’s just say I was not impressed,” Helwig said of the options presented to her.

While she may be frustrated, Helwig has approached the situation with a sense of humour.

She is determined to get back on her feet.

“Well, one foot and a fake one,” she said, chuckling.

Helwig hopes her advocacy will result in better funding for others in her position.

“I’m figuring even if they do realize the error of their ways and change it, it’s not going to be in time for me,” she admitted.

A friend of Helwig’s has set up a GoFundMe page to try and help with the costs associated with buying a prosthetic leg.