The South Korean government announced on Thursday new healthcare reforms aimed at curbing excessive use of non-reimbursed treatments and ensuring the sustainability of the National Health Insurance (NHI) system. Under the plan, non-critical, non-reimbursed services such as manual therapy — a subset of physical therapy focusing on techniques such as joint mobilization and muscle manipulation — will be reclassified as “managed services,” requiring patients to cover 90 to 95% of costs out of pocket. Fifth-generation private health insurance plans will also limit coverage for non-severe treatments and focus benefits on critical illnesses like cancer and heart disease.

The reforms, which include tighter monitoring and price standardization for non-reimbursed treatments, build on the government’s five-year healthcare plan introduced in Feb. 2024. Measures such as prohibiting combined claims for reimbursed and non-reimbursed services aim to discourage unnecessary care, while a new portal will allow patients to compare prices and treatment options for non-reimbursed services nationwide.