FROM HI MAG:
The high cost of cancer drugs continues to test the ability of both the NHS and private medical insurance (PMI) providers to devise sustainable funding strategies.
One year on from the publication of his report Improving Access to Medicines for NHS patients, there are already signs that national cancer director Professor Mike Richards’ recommendations may not stem the need for patients to seek private funding.
In October the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) declined to approve the use of a breast cancer drug to treat patients with advanced disease, despite the manufacturer’s proposal to pay for the drug for up to 12 weeks and the creation of more lenient rules for the assessment of end of life drugs in the wake of the Richards report.
However, the past year has also highlighted the challenges facing the PMI industry, once regarded as a potential beneficiary of the report’s recommendations.
WPA’s My Cancer Drugs “exceeded expectations”, according to the insurer’s corporate communications director Charlie MacEwan, yet it is now only available as one module of a broader Health Top-Up product. MacEwan’s admission that the corporate market generates the majority of demand for this offering, and that hospital and wellness benefits are the most popular, indicates that My Cancer Drugs may not generate significant amounts of income for the insurer.
Over the past twelve months, other PMI providers have promoted comprehensive cancer cover as a key benefit for members.