Cancer Treatment Costs: Can’t Afford Medicine?

“I am a family member of a patient with stage 4 lung cancer. My father currently has to use a drug that is not covered by health insurance in Korea. The cost of the drug per year is more than 150 million won. Even though there is a good life-saving drug, should I give up treatment because I do not have money? This reality is too harsh. I earnestly request that it be covered (covered by health insurance) through the emergency use approval process.”

An indispensable item in Petition 24 (National Petition) is the petition for reimbursement of new drugs. One after another, stories of people being upset about the high cost of medicine are coming up. The petition to reimburse Librivant, a targeted treatment for lung cancer, is one of them. The cost of Librivant ranges from 7 to 8 million won per treatment depending on the patient’s condition. A person can spend up to 30 million won in just one month. This is because Librivant is the only drug that matches the patient’s genes. For other lung cancer patients, the burden of drug costs was greatly reduced as Tagrisso and Lecraza were covered.

‘miracle drug‘ Right in front of me…The feeling of giving up because of money?

Coverage of new drugs is a hot potato every year. This is because petitions are pouring in from people who give up life-saving medicine because of money even though it is right in front of them. On the 6th, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service held the 11th Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Evaluation Committee in 2025 and decided that anticancer drugs such as ‘Imfinzi‘ and ‘Imudo’ are appropriate for health insurance coverage. In the future, the National Health Insurance Corporation will negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, and once the National Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee decides, the treatment will be covered.

Imfinzi, an immunotherapy drug, extends the survival period of patients with biliary tract cancer. However, in Korea, there were many people who were stamping their feet because they were not covered by health insurance. Liver cancer treatment ‘Imudo’ also requires only one administration, but the cost of the drug is 10 million won, so it was a burden. Analysis suggests that the U.S. government’s most-favored-nation (MFN) drug pricing policy was also behind this decision to provide coverage. Our government is rushing to cover new drugs before implementing this policy. The U.S. MFN policy is to apply the lowest drug prices among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries to the U.S. market.

Should I sell my house?? vs You have to save life first

Patients whose cancer is discovered late may face double suffering. In the cancer ward, there are cases where there is a sea of tears over whether to use expensive new drugs. If the cost of medicine for a year is a lot of money, you have to sell your house. The patient’s position is that he cannot sell his beloved home. However, the family counters, saying, “Still, we must save lives first.” When it comes to having to sell the house where the family lives to pay for the medicine, the patient’s stomach burns.

Careful reimbursement of new drugs…You should also look at your health insurance finances.

Reimbursement of expensive new drugs is done carefully. Although patients are complaining one after another, we must also look at the finances of health insurance, which is operated with money paid by the public. The procedure also requires several steps. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service verifies the clinical usefulness and necessity of new drugs through the Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Evaluation Committee. The drug price presented by the pharmaceutical company is evaluated based on effectiveness, cost, and economic efficiency. It must also go through drug price negotiations between the National Health Insurance Corporation and pharmaceutical companies and review by the Health Insurance Policy Review Committee of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Health insurance coverage of expensive new drugs must go through these procedures. There is a conflict between those who are concerned about the deterioration of health insurance finances and those who say that it is possible to save money that is leaking from other sources.

The government is rushing to implement policies to prepare for the U.S. government’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug prices. It is known that this includes plans to quickly register new drugs in health insurance and promote a dual drug pricing system. The dual drug pricing system is a method of applying a difference between the drug price listed in health insurance and the drug price actually paid through reimbursement to the National Health Insurance Corporation by pharmaceutical companies. If MFN is implemented, the introduction of new drugs into the country may be delayed or the risk of withdrawal from the country may increase. Another solution could be to expedite the registration of new drugs desired by patients in health insurance.

“Health insurance premiums are paid to save people’s lives.“

Retired people must pay health insurance premiums on property such as their home. Sometimes, people pay a lot of money for health insurance because they have a house that they worked hard to buy all their life. People who take good care of their health and do not go to the hospital often may feel unfair. One retiree said, “Health insurance premiums are paid to save people’s lives.” He said, “Many people should not give up cancer treatment because of the high cost of medicine. I hope that the health insurance premiums I pay will be used for these people.” Health insurance premiums are used not only to save me and my family, but also to save our neighbors. These days, there are quite a few people who are reducing the value of their health insurance premiums.

Reporter Kim Yong (ecok@kormedi.com)