The healthcare basket committee has presented to its final list of drugs to be added to the basket of healthcare services. Although this year's NIS 450 million budget increase for the basket is considered the largest ever made, many essential drugs failed to make the cut to enter the basket.
The committee chairman said, "We classified all the most essential drugs for 500,000 patients two weeks ago, but we were surprised to discover that the cost was NIS 1.2 billion. I admit that I finally broke at this point."
He added, "How did the cost balloon so much? On the basis of our calculations, 160,000 patients will obtain drugs that until now were not included in the healthcare basket. But this means that for every patient who will receive a drug, two patients will not. To whom not to give? How is it possible to look in the eye of a child or senior citizen who will not get the drugs they need?"
In view of his comments, it should be noted that the 2008 Economics Arrangements Law forbids the health funds from includes life-saving or life-extending drugs in their extended coverage plans. Clalit Health Services will no longer supply previously provided cancer drugs, even though Erbitux for the treatment of colon cancer was not included in the healthcare basket, for example.
Maccabi Healthcare Services is waiting for the Ministry of Health to notify it which drugs it may not include in its coverage. Maccabi, however, intends to continue providing coverage for non-life saving drugs not included in the healthcare basket.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 27, 2008
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2008