WeSure's YaoShenBao: Building a Full-Cycle Anti-Cancer Protection Ecosystem from Healthy Individuals to Diagnosed Patients

Following the launch of its “Yao Shen Bao · Anti-Cancer Specialty Drug Coverage Plan” for healthy individuals in May this year, WeSure once again partnered with Taikang Online and MedXin Health at the CSCO 2019 “Innovative Payment” special session held in Xiamen on September 18 to introduce the industry’s first anti-cancer coverage product designed specifically for cancer patients—the “Yao Shen Bao · Patient Coverage Plan” (hereinafter referred to as the “Yao Shen Bao Patient Version”).

According to statistical data released by the National Cancer Center, China sees approximately 3.8 million new cases of malignant tumors each year, with an average of seven people diagnosed with cancer every minute. The cumulative number of confirmed cancer patients and their families has reached tens of millions.

With the successful development and market launch of various specialized anticancer drugs, cancer patients have gradually transitioned from “panicking at the mere mention of cancer” to “having access to effective treatments.” However, faced with the high costs of these anticancer medications, patients still struggle with affordability and accessibility. Moreover, many hesitate to use these drugs due to concerns about their efficacy or the fear of leaving their families burdened with substantial debt in the event of their death.

According to oncologists attending the conference, it takes 1–2 years for new anticancer drugs to be included in China’s national medical insurance list after market approval. In actual clinical practice, only 20% of patients prescribed specialty medications proceed to purchase them. Most patients miss the life-saving opportunities offered by the latest anticancer technologies due to affordability issues; they are aware that effective treatments exist but cannot afford them.

Meanwhile, due to the limited capacity of basic medical insurance, commercial insurance involvement remains insufficient. For the group most in need of anti-cancer assistance and medical coverage—namely, those already diagnosed with cancer—the protection offered by existing insurance products on the market provides them with negligible benefit.

In light of this predicament, the launch of “Yao Shen Bao (Patient Edition)” is particularly timely. According to VCBeat, this is the first comprehensive solution for cancer treatment coverage and payment launched by WeSure specifically for diagnosed cancer patients and their families. In this initiative, WeSure has partnered with Medbanks Health and Taikang Online Insurance to provide all-around patient solutions, including “interest-free installment payments” for specialized anti-cancer drugs and “risk coverage for treatment efficacy,” thereby breaking the dilemma faced by cancer patients who previously had “no insurance available to purchase.”

Specifically, as an insurance platform under Tencent, WeSure leverages its role as an internet connector to deploy insurtech solutions. By partnering with pharmaceutical supply platforms, insurance companies, and banks, and adopting an interest-free installment payment model, WeSure alleviates patients’ financial burden in purchasing high-cost medications and lowers the payment threshold for accessing these drugs.

“Yaoshenbao Patient Edition” also provides, for the first time, risk protection for installment payments on medication purchases tailored to cancer patients and their families. In the event of the insured patient’s or family member’s death due to accident or illness, the remaining loan balance will be waived, alleviating concerns about medication affordability for patient households and securing valuable opportunities for effective treatment for each patient.

In May 2019, shortly after CHINAVBAO launched the “Medicine God Insurance · Special Drug Coverage and Assistance Program,” it had already provided cancer-specific drug coverage to over one million users within a few months. Furthermore, in August, the program completed its first charitable donation to Wu Qianyuan, a 38-year-old patient with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.

Wu Qianyuan’s experience is a microcosm of the typical cancer patient. After being diagnosed with advanced lung adenocarcinoma, he spent 700,000 to 800,000 yuan on anti-cancer treatment over two years. The anti-cancer drug he was taking, Keytruda (pembrolizumab), cost 40,000 yuan every 21 days. Although the targeted therapy had achieved excellent results and stabilized his condition, he eventually exhausted his financial resources and could no longer afford the medication, forcing him to return home and await the end of his life.

“This is the reality of our fight against cancer. Money, at times, represents more opportunities.” This remark by Qin Bo, director of the documentary *The Human World*, sums up the survival status of tens of millions of cancer patients in China.

In response to the current industry landscape and user pain points, CHINAVBAO has once again partnered with Medxcel and Taikang Online Insurance to launch the Patient Version of “Yao Shen Bao” (Drug God Insurance). This initiative aligns with the national strategy for a Healthy China, supports the call for the insurance sector to accelerate the development of diverse commercial health insurance products, increase product supply, and deepen integration with the multi-tiered medical security system, thereby enhancing the protective role of insurance.

Five Key Features of the Patient Version of Yaoshenbao:

1. Addressing the critical medication needs of cancer patients and their families. The patient version of Yaoshenbao covers all 57 anti-cancer specialty drugs currently marketed in China, as well as 11 high-cost medications for chronic diseases. It encompasses nearly all common types of cancer, including lung cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, leukemia, and kidney cancer, along with high-cost chronic conditions such as psoriasis, hepatitis C, and ankylosing spondylitis, thereby meeting the essential medication demands of patients and their households.

2. Connect insurance companies, pharmaceutical supply platforms, and banks to leverage installment payment models, significantly reducing patients’ financial burden and lowering the threshold for medication payments, thereby encouraging active treatment and helping patients gain valuable time in their fight against cancer.

3. For the first time, we provide risk protection for installment payments on medication purchases to patients and their families. In the event of the patient’s or family member’s death due to accident or illness, the remaining loan balance will be waived, thereby alleviating financial concerns regarding medication access and securing valuable opportunities for effective treatment for every patient.

4. Leverage the mutual aid function of insurance to expand patients’ access to medications and establish commercial insurance payment prices. Alleviate the financial burden on patients by providing medication coverage instead of cash reimbursements.

5. Integrate existing fragmented cancer patient welfare programs across society to provide patients with a comprehensive pharmaceutical benefit solution. Connect the pharmaceutical industry chain, financial instruments, insurance services, and various medical health services (including medication consultation, direct drug payment, and assistance with specific Patient Assistance Programs [PAP] for families).

According to industry data, China’s total healthcare expenditure reached RMB 5.8 trillion in 2018, with out-of-pocket payments by patients amounting to RMB 1.7 trillion. Commercial health insurance claims, excluding government-related business, totaled RMB 120 billion, accounting for only 7% of patients’ out-of-pocket expenses. In the face of high treatment costs, there is an urgent need for financial payment tools and innovative insurance coverage plans to alleviate the burden on citizens. As an indispensable component of China’s healthcare security system, commercial health insurance should assume greater responsibility for medical payments.

On September 11, in its response to Proposal No. 8193 of the Second Session of the 13th National People’s Congress, the National Healthcare Security Administration stated: “The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) will continue to implement the Healthy China strategy, encourage the insurance industry to accelerate the development of commercial health insurance in various forms, and meet the public’s multi-level, diversified, and personalized medical security needs.” This also requires insurance institutions to prioritize the public’s coverage needs and fully leverage their own advantages to drive product innovation.

Therefore, as a key component of Tencent’s internet finance ecosystem, WeSure (Weibao) continues to integrate existing resources from all sectors of society. Through model innovation, it contributes to the development of a multi-tiered medical security system. The “Medicine God Insurance” product, priced at just RMB 1, serves in part as one element within this multi-tiered framework, providing support to alleviate pressure on basic medical insurance.

According to the global cancer statistics published in 2018 by the medical journal *A Cancer Journal for Clinicians*, the cumulative risk of cancer mortality in China is exceptionally high, far exceeding the global average. Behind the phenomenon of “low incidence but high mortality,” in addition to weak awareness of prevention and early screening, the lack of timely access to specialized drug treatments is also a significant contributing factor.

Not long ago, WeSure announced its new brand philosophy, “Good Insurance, Buy with Confidence,” aiming to build a “benevolent good insurance” platform through innovation and an exceptional user experience. Liu Jiaming, CEO of WeSure, stated, “In the second half of the internet insurance era, WeSure is committed to building a benevolent insurance platform. Our vision is to provide trustworthy and high-quality protection for hundreds of millions of families at different stages of life, and we certainly cannot overlook patients and families already diagnosed with cancer. The launch of the Patient Edition of Yaoshenbao represents another effort to continue the innovation of Yaoshenbao. We hope that more individuals and families will feel warmth and receive support in their fight against cancer.”

In May this year, the Health Edition of Yaoshenbao, with its “RMB 1 enrollment” model, addressed the pain points faced by cancer patients who often struggle to afford, access, or sustain treatment with specialized anticancer drugs. The launch of the Patient Edition of Yaoshenbao further expanded the scope of WeSure’s Yaoshenbao Specialized Anticancer Drug Coverage Plan, completing a comprehensive suite of cancer protection offerings.

It further enhances protection for cancer patients and their families by providing the most practical support and comprehensive anti-cancer coverage solutions through “interest-free installment payments” and “risk protection for installment repayments on medication purchases.” According to VCBeat, the first batch of “Yao Shen Bao (Patient Version)” coverage plans will be piloted in nearly 100 pharmacies across 10 cities, with gradual expansion to more cities in the future.

To date, CHINAVBAO, in collaboration with its partners, has established a tripartite cancer-specific drug protection system comprising “MediGuard Health Edition,” “MediGuard Patient Edition,” and the “MediGuard Public Welfare Program,” gradually achieving comprehensive coverage from healthy individuals to cancer patients.