{"id":2207903,"date":"2025-01-10T08:00:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T23:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2207903"},"modified":"2025-01-09T19:12:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T10:12:30","slug":"patients-face-higher-costs-as-south-korea-overhauls-health-insurance-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2025\/01\/patients-face-higher-costs-as-south-korea-overhauls-health-insurance-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Patients face higher costs as South Korea overhauls health insurance policies"},"content":{"rendered":"

The South Korean government <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> 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 \u2014 a subset of physical therapy focusing on techniques such as joint mobilization and muscle manipulation \u2014 will be reclassified as \u201cmanaged services,\u201d 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reforms, which include tighter monitoring and price standardization for non-reimbursed treatments, build on the government\u2019s <\/span>five-year healthcare plan<\/span><\/a> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

WHY IT MATTERS<\/b><\/p>\n

The reforms reflect the government\u2019s ongoing attempt to rein in healthcare costs and address inefficiencies in the NHI system. By shifting the focus to critical illnesses and curbing coverage for non-essential treatments, the plan aims to ease financial pressures on the system. However, it remains uncertain whether these changes can balance cost savings with equitable access.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reform plan will likely have an uneven impact on various stakeholders. For instance, clinics that rely on high-margin elective procedures may see revenue declines. However, South Korea\u2019s growing elderly population, now over 20% of the total, may face the brunt of the impact. Senior citizens are frequent users of manual therapy and could face higher financial burdens for non-critical care.<\/span><\/p>\n

Business & Economy<\/span><\/a>Culture & Society<\/span><\/a>Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 \u2014 a subset of physical therapy focusing on techniques such as joint mobilization and muscle manipulation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2207904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[24,25,27],"class_list":["post-2207903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-briefings","tag-business-economy","tag-culture-society","tag-domestic-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nPatients face higher costs as South Korea overhauls health insurance policies - Korea Pro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2025\/01\/patients-face-higher-costs-as-south-korea-overhauls-health-insurance-policies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Patients face higher costs as South Korea overhauls health insurance policies - Korea Pro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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. 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