107 medicines worth NIS 460 million added to health basket
Established by the 1994 National Health Insurance Law, the basket encompasses the entire range of medical services, drugs, equipment and devices.
By EYTAN HALONUpdated: JANUARY 4, 2019 00:15(Left to Right) Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, Health Basket Committee Chairman Prof. Ronni Gamzu, Ministry of Health Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov and Ministry of Health Director of Medical Technology and Infrastructure Administration Dr. Osnat Luxenburg(photo credit: HEALTH MINISTRY)
The Health Basket Committee announced the addition of 107 medical technologies worth NIS 460 million to the state-subsidized health basket on Thursday, bringing both good and bad news to thousands of patients.Among the technologies set to enter the basket this year are multiple treatments for those suffering from solid tumors and hematologic cancers, including a breakthrough treatment involving CAR-T genetic engineering for lymphoma patients and children with leukemia.Other treatments that were also added by the committee included advanced bio-pharmaceutical therapy for patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever who have developed resistance to existing treatments; numerous medications for rare diseases; a breakthrough drug for treating cystic fibrosis; new biologic treatments for chronic diseases including psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and atopic dermatitis; advanced PET-CT imaging for new diagnoses; and medicines for carriers of infectious diseases including HIV and patients with antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis and fungal infections.Established by the 1994 National Health Insurance Law, the basket encompasses the entire range of medical services, drugs, equipment and devices that insured permanent residents of Israel have a right to receive and are subject to professional medical opinion.Annual additions to the basket, which already includes most lifesaving drugs, are limited by the budget allocated by the treasury.The committee, chaired by Prof. Ronni Gamzu, director general of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and former director general of the Health Ministry, evaluated 770 treatments worth over NIS 3 billion during the past year, before a decision was reached over the NIS 460 million budget at its disposal.“The 2019 health basket includes dramatic achievements for patients, and I am proud of the results presented by the committee,” said Deputy Health Minister and United Torah Judaism leader Ya’acov Litzman.“Unfortunately, the budget for the basket is never sufficient for all the needs, but I must emphasize our achievement to achieve a significant addition to the basket thanks to our cooperation with the Finance Ministry.“However, I believe that we have reached a situation where there is a need to increase the basket’s budget to meet existing health needs, and I therefore intend to demand in the next coalition agreement an increase in the health basket to NIS 700 million.”The list of additional treatments is now subject to cabinet approval. Once given the green light, it will be accepted by the Israel Health Council and patients of the country’s four health funds will be able to receive the additional treatments without charge.“For a fourth year in a row, the health basket budget has risen by half a billion shekels – a 66% increase compared with the previous government,” said Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon. “From 2015 to 2019, the health budget has grown by 39%, the greatest increase since the establishment of the state. It is again clear that the greatest achievements on social issues belong to Kulanu.”The Israel Cancer Association and the Israel Aids Task Force both welcomed the health basket additions, while calling for greater funding.“The drugs and technologies that have entered the basket this year with public funding will allow a greater number of cancer patients to receive life-saving treatment,” said the Israel Cancer Association.“At the same time, we are disappointed by the medicines left out of the basket this year due to lack of funds, and we call upon the prime minister and finance minister, as we have recommended several times in the past, to implement a fixed annual increase of about 2% of the value of the health basket.”“The AIDS Task Force congratulates the committee’s decision to include innovative drug treatments for those living with HIV and accordingly to reduce morbidity,” the organization said in a statement.“Thus, Israel will continue to provide optimal treatment for people living with HIV. However, we express deep disappointment that PrEP did not enter the health basket this year. The Health Ministry must quickly find ways of publicly funding this treatment, including through directly funding those in need.”
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