Lung Cancer Screening: RM309 LDCT at Beacon Hospital
Summary of the Article: Financing Lung Cancer Treatment with KALSIS
This article discusses the high cost of lung cancer treatment in Malaysia and introduces KALSIS, a new financing solution aimed at helping retirees afford these expenses. Here’s a breakdown of the key points:
The Problem: High Cost of Cancer Treatment
Targeted Therapies & Immunotherapy are Expensive: Lung cancer treatments, particularly targeted therapies (TKIs) and immunotherapy (like pembrolizumab), can cost anywhere from RM400 to RM17,000 per month. Costs escalate as patients need to upgrade treatments as their disease progresses.
Chemotherapy is Less Effective: While cheaper (RM1,000-RM2,000), chemotherapy generally offers less prolonged survival.
Retirees Face challenges: Many retirees lack adequate coverage due to lapsed insurance, job loss, or unaffordable premiums. They also don’t have Socso benefits.
The Solution: KALSIS – A Fourth Pillar of Healthcare Financing
What is KALSIS? KALSIS is a scheme that allows seniors (60+) to unlock equity from their homes to fund healthcare and retirement expenses. It’s positioned as the “fourth pillar” of healthcare financing,alongside government,insurance,and out-of-pocket payments.
How it Works:
Participants receive 10% of their home’s market value upfront (e.g., RM150,000 for a RM1.5 million home). They then receive 3.27-4% of the property value annually for the rest of their lives.
Payments continue to the surviving spouse after the participant’s death.
Funding Cutting-Edge Medicines: KALSIS is designed to work with patient assistance programs offered by pharmaceutical companies to cover treatment costs.
Global Recognition: The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) recognizes KALSIS as a unique approach to financing cancer care.
* Leveraging Capital Markets: KALSIS taps into the vast resources of capital markets (RM4.2 trillion in 2024) to address the cancer care gap.
In essence, KALSIS offers a way for retirees to access funds tied up in their homes to afford potentially life-extending cancer treatments, without having to sell their homes or relocate.