At a dinner hosted by the Singapore Cancer Society on Friday, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said he hoped that with the changes, effective cancer treatments can be made more accessible and affordable to all future patients.
“But there will be mid-flight patients, meaning those who are in the middle of their treatment, using cancer drugs not on the CDL,” he said.
“So we should avoid the situation where they will find the cost of their cancer drugs shoot up suddenly. We should make provisions, so that the impact on them should be minimal, if not zero.”
The additional support for these patients will allow them to complete their treatment with minimal or no impact to their out-of-pocket expenses after MediSave withdrawals and MediShield Life claims, said Mr Ong.
If these patients have IPs, insurers have committed to continue their current IP coverage at least until September next year, he added.
The Life Insurance Association announced on Friday that all seven insurers offering IP will provide additional support for policyholders amid the implementation of the CDL.
They will keep premium rates for IPs steady from Friday to Aug 31, 2024, although this will not apply to IP riders.
The insurers will also provide transitional support until Sep 30, 2023, for patients whose IPs are renewing between Apr 1, 2023 and Sep 30, 2023, and are actively undergoing cancer drug treatments as of Mar 31, 2023.
“This transitional support will provide affected IP policyholders more time to deliberate on their treatment plans and adjust to the change by switching to suitable alternatives on the CDL, where appropriate,” said the Life Insurance Association.
“It is critical that treatment decisions are made only upon adequate consultation and discussions with doctors on the way forward. Policyholders are also encouraged to engage their IP insurers to seek clarifications, if required, before commencing treatments.”
Future patients, together with their oncologists, should consider treatment options on the CDL, which are “clinically proven and more cost effective”, before considering alternatives, said MOH.
“Notwithstanding, IP insurers have decided that their riders’ coverage will continue to cover treatments beyond the CDL,” said MOH, adding that this will provide greater choice for those who prefer and wish to pay for broader coverage.