Buan County Provides Financial Support for Artificial Knee Joint Surgery for Seniors

Financial Support for Low-Income Seniors Aged 70 and Above
Reducing the Burden of Medical Expenses

Buan-gun, North Jeolla Province, has been providing financial support for artificial knee joint surgery for seniors as part of its 8th popularly elected administration's pledges since 2023, now in its third year.

According to the county on the 3rd, this project supports the medical expenses for artificial knee joint surgery for low-income seniors aged 70 or older who have suffered from knee osteoarthritis and have been unable to undergo surgery, provided they have been registered residents of Buan-gun for at least one year.

In December 2022, Buan-gun enacted an ordinance to support medical expenses for seniors' artificial knee joint surgeries. In February last year, the ordinance was partially amended and promulgated to change the application period from before the surgery to within one year after the surgery date.

The status of medical expense support shows 47 cases in 2023 and 60 cases in 2024, with a total of 170 million KRW provided. As of the end of March this year, 53 out of the targeted 60 cases have been supported, amounting to 53 million KRW, indicating that the goal will likely be achieved early.

The eligibility criteria for support target seniors with health insurance premiums at or below 100% of the median income. The support covers examination, consultation, and surgery costs corresponding to the patient's out-of-pocket expenses, up to 1 million KRW for one knee and 2 million KRW for both knees.

Required documents for application include a diagnosis (or medical opinion) issued within the past month, a copy of the health insurance card or a certificate of health insurance eligibility, a health insurance premium payment certificate (within the past three months), and a resident registration certificate. Applications can be submitted in person at the public health center.

A county official stated, "We will focus on promoting and guiding the artificial knee joint surgery medical expense support project for seniors so that it can be established early and relieve the medical expense burden for more low-income seniors."