Stem Cell Insurance Becomes Reality
NTUC Income of Singapore has cut an exclusive deal with CordLife, a regional private cord blood bank, to help patients defray costs related to the stem cell transplants, which can treat about 75 diseases, including most forms of leukaemia. It is for the first time stem cell insurance is available anywhere in the world.
MediCord will be offered by March under two plans with an annual premium of either $50 or $100. It can help cover up to half of the cost of a stem cell operation, which could range anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000. The plan will cover the insured patient’s hospital, surgical and transplant expenses arising from stem cell transplants using stored cord blood.
There have been about 6,000 cord blood stem cell transplant operations worldwide.
Mr Steven Fang, the chief executive officer of cell therapy company CyGenics, of which CordLife is a subsidiary, said that blood cord stem cell transplants are fast replacing bone marrow transplants as the way to go in leukaemia treatment.
Even though normal exclusions apply to the policy, the good news is that patients with a family history of blood diseases, the reason why some store their blood units with the bank, are still eligible for the plan.
Source: TODAY Online
March 7th, 2006 at 1:35 am
This is an interesting issue. Another form of the “Future Twin Project” ? Or a smaller version of “The Island” ? Any way to fund stem cell research I suppose, even if it is promising desease insurance.
Maybe those participating in this fund are simply desperate.
March 7th, 2006 at 5:03 am
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March 7th, 2006 at 6:04 am
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March 8th, 2006 at 12:50 am
The studies of stem cell research is a marvelous part of science. Many ground breaking studies have been discovered and will be beneficial to society. Isn’t there going to be a time when clone won’t be enough for people. New creations are discovered everyday but have never been good enough. Will someday the population double and resources run low. There is a purpose in everything, but cloning is one I am unsure anbout.