Health-care drugs are not included in medical insurance: "saving use" is to accurately "benefit the people"

  Viewpoint

  The "generousness" of improving the welfare of patients and the "stinginess" of strictly controlling expenditures are essentially for "benefiting people's livelihood."

  According to the Beijing News, the National Medical Insurance Bureau recently officially announced the "Interim Measures for the Administration of Medications for Basic Medical Insurance", which clarified that medicines such as health care drugs, preventive vaccines and contraceptives, as well as other drugs that do not meet the requirements of basic medical insurance, shall not be included in the " Drug List. The "Measures" will come into effect on September 1, 2020. The medical security administrative department of the State Council has established a complete dynamic adjustment mechanism, which in principle is adjusted once a year.

  As it involves the vital interests of patients, the "Measures" have received widespread attention since the public consultation in April this year. Now that the "Measures" are officially released, although the public has some understanding of the relevant content, the "Measures" will mainly provide nourishing medicines, medicines containing national precious or endangered wild animals and plants, health medicines, preventive vaccines and contraceptives. Excluded from the list of basic medical insurance drugs, and it is clear that in principle, OTC drugs are no longer added to the "Drug List". The intensity of "conservation" has exceeded many people's expectations.

  In recent years, medical insurance drugs have left a deep impression on people in terms of expanding the coverage and improving the level of coverage. For example, drugs are negotiated for volume-for-price, and the inclusion of the medical insurance catalog is the negotiation condition. Many expensive drugs in the past were included in the "Drug Catalog" after substantial price reductions. Many imported anti-cancer drugs were also included for the first time, preventing patients from Then "hope and sigh." The "generousness" of improving patient welfare and the "stingness" of strictly controlling expenditures are in sharp contrast, which also shows that medical security is further developing in the direction of "benefiting the people."

  In fact, the exclusion of health care drugs from the medical insurance catalogue to save costs and improve people's livelihood and welfare is not only in conflict, but can be taken into account. Because there will be entry only if there is withdrawal, and the greater the clearance of the "Drug Catalog" and the higher the entry threshold, the greater the room for protection upgrades.

  In the past, tonic drugs, health care drugs, and auxiliary drugs accounted for a considerable proportion of the medical insurance drug list. This would squeeze out the space for clinically necessary, safe, effective, and reasonably priced drugs, and transfer or exclude these non-essential drugs. More urgently needed drugs can be included to better protect the needs for treatment.

  We should also see that saving energy is not about detriment of welfare, but precise protection. For example, this time the preventive vaccine is excluded from the "Drug List". Some people are worried that it will lead to the loss of medical insurance benefits, but the therapeutic vaccine is not excluded. The hepatitis B therapeutic vaccine and other high-tech products that can play a greater role in treatment, Can still be included.

  Moreover, the first type of preventive vaccines are free vaccines within the scope of the national planned immunization, and the second type of vaccines are self-funded vaccines. Even the second type of vaccine can be guaranteed through temporary measures. For example, Beijing and other places provide free influenza vaccines for people over 60 and school students. This is a typical case of temporary protection measures. In the future, the new crown pneumonia vaccine can also be used. Use this guarantee model.

  Medical protection includes both basic medical insurance, commercial insurance, medical assistance, and temporary protection. Too much reliance on one type of protection can not solve the immediate problems, and may also affect the sustainable protection of the medical insurance fund. Various protection methods have their own methods. Only by working together and working together can the entire medical insurance network be more encrypted.

  It is foreseeable that there will be better and better clinically necessary drugs and new drugs included in the "Drug Catalog", and the strength of medical insurance to benefit the people's livelihood will only increase. In addition, a series of medical insurance measures to save expenses will be gradually strengthened. In addition to clarifying the banned list of the "Drug List", measures to combat hedging and strengthen the review of medical insurance funds will also play a greater role. Only by playing the two games of saving energy and benefiting the people can the level of medical protection and the medical welfare of the people be steadily improved.

  □Luo Zhihua (Doctor)