Patients with the incurable genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF) called on the health basket committee Wednesday morning to "give us air to breathe!" in a first-of-its-kind virtual demonstration that took place on Zoom.
Ahead of the first discussion of the members of the committee to be held on Thursday, CF patients are keeping up the struggle to add to the basket the drug that will prolong their life by 20 years, knowing that their life expectancy is only 40 without it.
Cystic fibrosis disease is a rare, severe and progressive genetic disease.
CF patients, also in the coronavirus risk group, made a clear call to the members of the basket committee:
"We and our families cannot bear the thought that there is a groundbreaking and life-saving treatment that is not within our reach, without which our health may deteriorate significantly to death. We have no time to wait.""Add the drug Trikafta to the 2021 health basket – it will prolong our lives by 20 years!"
The healthcare basket includes all services, medications, medical equipment and devices to which the insured are entitled to receive according to The National Health Insurance Law.
The health plans are responsible for some of the services in the health basket, while the Health Ministry is responsible for others.
As a general rule, the services included in the health basket are provided free of charge to those who are insured, except for those services for which a patient is required to provide a co-payment.
In June, the Health Basket Committee recommended the addition of 141 new treatments and technologies worth NIS 500 million ($145m.) to the state-subsidized health basket, bringing welcome news to an estimated 210,000 patients and disappointment for others.
Additions to the health basket recommended by the committee, after four months of deliberations, include a range of treatments for cancer patients, a nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression and an HIV prevention treatment.
“However, the joy is incomplete, as there are many drugs left out of the basket due to a lack of budget,” the Israel Cancer Association said then in a statement.
“We expect the government, formed immediately after the elections, to provide a fixed, annual increase of approximately 2% of the value of the health basket. This is a necessary step designed to enable a solution and long-term planning under the National Health Insurance Law, and to prevent distress among patients.”
Eytan Halon contributed to this report.