KMA: "Medical Service Prices Must Increase by at Least 10%"

"Must promptly normalize to 100% of the cost level"

As negotiations to determine next year's level of nursing care benefit costs (service fees·medical service prices) have begun, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) has insisted that fees must be increased by at least 10%.

On the 16th, the KMA held an 'Emergency Press Conference on the 2025 Fee Negotiations' at the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, announcing this position. Im Hyun-taek, president of the KMA, stated, "Our country's insurance fees, which started at about 50% of the cost price, have remained around 80% of the cost price for nearly half a century," adding, "Next year's fees must be increased by at least 10%, and thereafter, they should be promptly normalized to 100% of the cost price."

He continued, "If the government truly wants to revive essential and severe medical care, it must first firmly implement the '20% national treasury subsidy,' which has been chronically neglected, and reorganize the insurance financial status."

The KMA proposed conditions for participating in the fee negotiations, including the withdrawal of 'differential application of conversion factors by procedure type' and 'real-time live broadcasting of fee negotiation meetings.' The differential application of conversion factors by procedure type involves increasing the 'conversion factor'?which is currently multiplied by the fee per procedure?only for undervalued medical services such as essential care. Currently, the conversion factor is uniformly increased regardless of procedure type.

The real-time live broadcast of fee negotiation meetings is a demand to broadcast the negotiations live to inform the public about the root causes of medical issues.

The government attempted to apply differential conversion factors last year as well, but the plan was scrapped due to opposition from the KMA. President Im criticized, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare says it will cut fees for specimen imaging to supplement essential medical departments, but fees are already very low across all departments. It is appropriate for the government to invest finances in all departments," adding, "This is an act that damages the president's reputation, and the 'puppet Minister of Health and Welfare should go home now.'"