NHS widen offering of life-saving drugs

Top-up' payments on NHS widen offering of life-saving drugs
18th December, 2008
The insurance industry has seen enormous potential in 'top-up' payments on the NHS, reports have revealed.
The scheme, which is already active in England, involves insurers covering the cost of drugs not available on the NHS, without requiring patients to forfeit state care.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said that private health insurance could significantly affect patients' ability to access new drugs and treatments that are unavailable on the NHS.
Denied drugs
Before the change, thousands of NHS patients, including cancer sufferers, were denied drugs that could enhance the quality of their lives or simply prolong their lives because the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the government's drug-rationing body, ruled they were not good value for money. Patients who chose to use their savings to pay for drugs had their NHS care withdrawn.
The announcement to allow top-ups to NHS care, however, means patients can now pay for part of their medical treatment privately so long as the work is 'separate' from the NHS. Before the launch of the scheme, the only way to receive the drugs, which can amount to as much as £50,000 a year, was to pay for private medical cover.
A welcome change
Many insurers, such as WPA and Bupa, are already offering top-up cover, with countless others considering to follow suit. Fergus Craig, commercial director of Axa PPP healthcare, told theThis is excellent news for patients and their families. We will be studying the new guidance carefully to ensure our top-up offering fully complements their NHS care. We expect to make this available very soon."
Many healthcare providers, such as Healthcare at Home, are also welcoming the change. A spokesperson for Healthcare at Home said: