A survey conducted by the Formosa Cancer Foundation (FCF) among 762 cancer patients and family members found that 309 respondents had experience paying for medications out of pocket. Among 159 patients still paying for cancer drugs themselves, more than half spent over NT$50,000 per month, 35.8% reported that these costs affected their ability to cover everyday expenses, and 13.2% had to borrow money or even interrupt treatment. These findings indicate that high drug costs have affected some patients’ daily lives and ability to continue treatment.

The average time from regulatory approval to National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage for new cancer drugs fell from 829.2 days previously to 307 days in 2025. However, only 75 of the 109 new cancer drugs approved between 2016 and 2025 had obtained NHI coverage. Coverage gaps also remain for the approved indications of drugs already reimbursed by NHI: of the 127 approved indications for the 51 new cancer drugs cited in the report, 47 remained uncovered.

The FCF said the Cancer Drug Fund had originally been expected to reach NT$10 billion, but only NT$5 billion had been allocated. It urged the government to increase funding, strengthen financial planning, and accelerate NHI coverage of new drugs and additional indications.

Yan-Shen Shan, a member of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee, also proposed amending the law to allow balance billing for drugs, with a 10% cap. He said this approach could accelerate NHI coverage of new drugs and help patients access treatment sooner while keeping the government’s financial burden manageable.

【2026-11-05／United Daily News】