The implications of drug safety network on catastrophic disease medical insurance in Hong Kong / 中国卫生政策研究

ABSTRACT

The reimbursement on high-value drug expenses for patients is an important approach of catastrophic disease medical insurance.Hong Kong has established in a drug safety network, that has achieved remarkable results in improving the accessibility to high-value drugs and the burden of disease and effectively alleviated patients' financial burden.This paper systematically analyzes the history, process of adding drugs to directory, application conditions for drugs and patients, development status, and characteristics of drug safety network in Hong Kong.This study points out that although Mainland China has gradually established the high-value drug directory for catastrophic disease through the method of drug negotiation, the mechanism of high-value drug directory is not mature yet.To achieve the convergence between high-value drug directory, basic medical insurance drug directory, and new rural cooperative medical scheme drug directory, Mainland China needs to: 1) First, learn from the drug safety network in Hong Kong and establish access and exist mechanism for high-value drug directory;2) Then, expand insurance coverage of high-value drugs by establishing a multi-channel and socialized financing mechanism;3) Finally, strengthen the major disease medical insurance by adhering to the principles of buying drugs and getting drugs for free and reforming the fixed-ratio-reimbursement model.