The Taiwan Professors Association called on the health insurance company to take good care of the health of the public, and should not just save money and ignore the needs of cancer patients.

(Photo provided by Taiwan Professors Association)

[Reporter Lin Huiqin/Taipei Report] Health insurance finances are tight, and cutting expenditure is the direction of the government's efforts. However, many experts, including Hong Ziren, chairman of the Taiwan Medical Management Society, have warned that Taiwan's average life expectancy and cancer 5-year survival rate lag behind Japan and South Korea. , should strengthen investment in health.

The Taiwan Professors Association also appealed today that the public's right to health is a basic right guaranteed by the "Constitution", and that health insurance is obliged to take good care of the public's health, and should not just save money and ignore the needs of cancer patients; the Taiwan Cancer Foundation called for the establishment of a " Cancer New Drug Diversified Support Fund" to accelerate the accessibility of new drugs for cancer patients.

The Taiwan Professors Association pointed out that according to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, cancer claimed more than 50,000 lives last year, nearly four times the cumulative death toll from the Wuhan pneumonia (new coronavirus disease, COVID-19) epidemic in the past three years. A powerful umbrella, in fact, there have been breaches in intensive care.

According to data from the National Health Insurance Administration, a total of 2.268 billion yuan has been budgeted for new drugs this year, and the implementation rate in the first half of the year is only about 5%. It is conceivable that the implementation rate of the new drug budget for the whole year may hit a new low. The worst year for health insurance new drug payments.

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Chen Lifu, vice president of the Taiwan Professors Association, emphasized that according to the Interpretation No. 758 of the Supreme Judge, the "right to health" is a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 22 of the Constitution, which aims to "protect the integrity of the people's physical and psychological Arbitrary infringement, and the state also has a duty to take care of people’s physical and mental health.” Health insurance is a social insurance that the government compulsorily enrolls in. We should not just cut costs and ignore the needs of cancer patients!

Legislative member Wang Wanyu emphasized that the new drug is hope for cancer patients, but it is expensive, not every cancer patient can afford it, and more assistance from the government is needed. , the current situation shows that the health insurance payment for new cancer drugs is strictly limited and the budget execution rate is low. This is a serious issue of whether life can continue, and the payment should be accelerated.

Liu Huanrui, vice chairman of the Taiwan Young Patient Association, took lung cancer as an example. When diagnosed, the proportion was as high as 60%. It is not suitable for surgery and needs new drug treatment, especially for those who are not suitable for targeted therapy. However, although the national health insurance has paid for immunotherapy, the conditions are very strict. , and the current US National Cancer Information Network (NCCN) recommends immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced lung cancer, and the health insurance payment has not kept up with the international trend.

Cai Lijuan, deputy executive director of the Taiwan Cancer Foundation, believes that cancer patients cannot afford to wait and wait, and urges the government to establish a "multiple support fund for new cancer drugs" to help patients use new drug treatments faster and reduce family burdens. With support, the draft amendment to the Cancer Prevention and Control Act has completed its first reading in the Legislative Yuan. We hope that the amendment will be completed as soon as possible.

However, the National Health Insurance Administration pointed out that on January 1 this year, according to the market transaction situation, the drug price was adjusted reasonably according to the law. The adjusted amount was 7.46 billion yuan. The investment in cancer drug resources has not decreased.

In the past three years, the drug fee for the new cancer drug application has grown, which is 5.16 billion yuan in 2019, 10.464 billion yuan in 2020, and 14.730 billion yuan in 2021.

The National Health Insurance Administration emphasizes that more and more cancer drugs are listed on the market as soon as possible for patients to choose, and they are listed in a fast-track review method. With only Phase 1 or Phase 2 clinical trial data, drug licenses are obtained through accelerated approval. The actual clinical efficacy and financial The impact is still highly uncertain, and the precious and limited health care resources need to be carefully evaluated.

In order to take into account the rights of patients and the sustainable operation of health insurance finance, it is hoped that by providing sufficient scientific evidence to support the re-evaluation of the efficacy and safety of real-world use in the future, health insurance resources can be used on the knife edge, reducing the uncertainty of efficacy and the financial burden of health insurance.