Yubin, a former member of Wonder Girls, revealed her family's struggle with cancer and has directly advocated for health insurance coverage for expensive treatments.
On the 1st, Yubin stated on her social media (SNS), "Something unfortunate has happened to my beloved family," adding, "My older sister has been undergoing painful treatment since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, and the cancer has metastasized to her brain last year, causing her to continue a painful fight day by day."
She continued, "While I have finally found an effective treatment, due to the enormous cost of the medication and other practical limitations, it is difficult to receive proper treatment," urging support for a petition regarding health insurance coverage that includes the treatment.
The petition Yubin encouraged participation in is titled "Request for health insurance coverage and swift processing for breast cancer brain metastasis treatment Tukysa (ingredient name tucatinib)." This petition, registered on the 27th of last month, has received over 11,500 agreements as of the morning of the 2nd.
The petition states, "Although the treatment has been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, patients have to purchase it out of pocket as it is not covered by insurance," and adds, "The treatment cost of 30 million won for two months is burdensome for an ordinary family." It is also reported that the annual treatment cost for chemotherapy drugs that were previously covered by insurance has turned to out-of-pocket expenses when used in conjunction, totaling 200 million won.
More than half of breast cancer patients in Korea achieve high survival rates due to early diagnosis and treatment thanks to the national cancer screening program, but the risk of metastasis and recurrence is high in the case of HER2-positive early breast cancer. In particular, the five-year survival rate for patients with brain metastasis is only 10.7% as of 2022.
Yubin emphasized, "This petition is not just a family issue; it is an important matter directly related to whether more breast cancer patients in the future can receive proper treatment," asking for public participation to prevent patients from having to give up their lives due to financial burdens.
Meanwhile, Yubin explained through SNS comments that "the family member battling cancer is not my older sister, but the wife of my cousin who is an older brother."