Willingness to pay per quality-adjusted life year for life-saving treatments in Thailand

OBJECTIVE To estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) value for life-saving treatments and to determine factors affecting the WTP per QALY value. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey with multistage sampling and face-to-face interviews. SETTING General population in the southern part of Thailand. PARTICIPANTS A total of 600 individuals were included in the study. Only 554 (92.3%) responses were usable for data analyses. OUTCOME MEASURE Participants were asked for the maximum amount of WTP value for life-saving treatments by an open-ended question. EQ-5D-3L and visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to estimate additional QALY. RESULTS The amount of WTP values varied from 0 to 720,000 Baht/year (approximately 32 Baht=US$1). The averages of additional QALY obtained from VAS and EQ-5D-3L were only slightly different (0.872 and 0.853, respectively). The averages of WTP per QALY obtained from VAS and EQ-5D-3L were 244,720 and 243,120 Baht/QALY, respectively. As compared to male participants, female participants were more likely to pay less for an additional QALY (p=0.007). In addition, participants with higher household incomes tended to have higher WTP per QALY values (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our study added another WTP per QALY value specifically for life-saving treatments, which would complement the current cost-effectiveness threshold used in Thailand and optimise patient access to innovative treatments or technologies.