By Jung Hae-myoung
Starting next year, more patients battling rare diseases will pay less for their medical expenses, as 100 disorders have been newly added to the government’s subsidy list, according to the health ministry, Tuesday.
Rare diseases refer to illnesses affecting fewer than 20,000 people worldwide or diseases for which an appropriate treatment or alternative medicine has yet to be developed.
As of Tuesday, a total of 927 diseases are classified as rare.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, patients with those rare diseases will only have to pay 10 percent of their medical bills and the government will cover the rest. The ministry estimates around 1,800 patients will benefit.
The addition of 100 new rare diseases to the subsidy list was made after months of reviews and discussions with patients, families and experts.
In addition, 68 “extremely” rare diseases that are suffered by fewer than 200 people were included in the list of 100.
For example, people with Eales’ disease ― a disease of the retina that blurs or deteriorates a patient’s sight ― will now only be required to pay 10 percent of their medical costs
Plus, if rare disease patients are among those who earn less than 120 percent of the nation’s median income, they will be eligible to receive financial support for the 10 percent payment from the government ― if they are national health insurance subscribers.
The ministry plans to receive suggestions on rare diseases twice a year and expand the range of welfare benefits for the patients.
The suggestions will be received through a “Rare Disease Helpline,” an affiliated organization of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For those who have rare diseases or are severely ill, the ministry said it will decrease the financial burden of their prescriptions by implementing a “selective medical payment” policy by 2020.
For the “selective medical payment” policy, the patient will take most of the burden for payment of prescriptions. Currently, no financial help is available.
Cancer patients will have to pay 30 percent of the costs for their prescription medication, and 50 percent will be paid by those suffering from rare diseases.
In July, the ministry implemented post-approval policy for use of rare disease medicines, under which patients can use medicine and treatment instantly in an emergency, under the condition that they should get approval from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service afterward.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2018/12/119_259835.html
