"Manual Therapy Fees from 0 to 500,000 Won"…First Disclosure of Non-Covered Medical Fees at Local Clinics

'2021 Non-Covered Medical Fees' Disclosure

Non-reimbursed Medical Expenses Information on the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service Website (Photo by Ministry of Health and Welfare)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] An analysis of non-reimbursable medical expenses by medical institution this year revealed that the most frequent items at hospital level or higher were single-room premium hospital fees and manual therapy. At clinics, the most frequent items were pneumococcal and shingles vaccination fees. Additionally, manual therapy showed an increase in both the highest and average prices compared to last year across all types of institutions.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service announced on the 28th that they will disclose the results of the '2021 Non-Reimbursable Medical Expenses' survey and analysis on the HIRA website and the mobile app 'Health Information.' This year, price information for 616 non-reimbursable items (935 items including detailed information) submitted by a total of 65,696 medical institutions, including 61,909 local clinics, will be made public. Among the 68,344 institutions surveyed from April 27 to August 17, 96.1% submitted data.

The 2021 non-reimbursable price disclosure included 112 new items and price information for 616 items such as manual therapy (medical), crown prosthetic treatment (dental), and Chuna therapy (Korean medicine).

Among the new items, non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) showed similar average, median, and highest prices at hospital level and clinics. NIPT is a test that screens for fetal genetic abnormalities using fetal DNA present in the mother's blood. The average cost at tertiary hospitals was 511,266 KRW, while clinics averaged 604,111 KRW. However, the lowest prices showed more than a twofold difference, at 137,500 KRW and 299,000 KRW respectively.

For adjustable intraocular lenses used in cataract surgery, the highest price at clinics was higher than at hospitals. However, the average price was lower at clinics (2,914,366 KRW) compared to hospitals (2,981,453 KRW). Price differences of more than six times were observed for the same product among adjustable intraocular lenses.

Regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination fees, the lowest and highest prices at tertiary hospitals decreased by 12.3% and 10.3% respectively compared to the previous year. At general hospitals and hospitals, both the lowest and highest prices increased. Among vaccine types, the lowest price for Gardasil 9 prefilled syringe increased by 36% compared to last year.

Shingles vaccination fees at tertiary hospitals increased in lowest, median, and average prices compared to the previous year. Conversely, most prices at general hospitals and hospitals decreased.

For dental prosthetic fees, crown prices at tertiary and general hospitals remained similar to the previous year in lowest and highest prices, but average and median prices slightly increased. At dental hospitals, the lowest price decreased by 23.8%, while the highest price increased by 81%. For acupoint pharmacopuncture, the lowest, highest, median, and average prices decreased at Korean medicine hospitals.

Gong In-sik, Director of Medical Security Management at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, “With the inclusion of local clinics in this disclosure, it is expected that local residents will be able to make more reasonable choices regarding frequently used non-reimbursable services.” He added, “We will strive to improve the non-reimbursable price disclosure system by discovering information that can provide practical help to medical users, such as total medical expenses for major surgeries or diseases that attract social interest.”