Forum on "Improvement Measures for Indemnity Health Insurance to Prevent Excessive Medical Services and Disputes"
The Financial Supervisory Service announced on the afternoon of November 18 that it held a forum together with the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee under the theme "Improvement Measures for Indemnity Health Insurance to Prevent Excessive Medical Services and Disputes."
This forum was organized to strengthen the consumer protection system and transition to financial supervision centered on consumer protection. It follows a previous forum on financial investment products such as equity-linked securities (ELS), making this the second such event.
The forum examined the current state of disputes related to indemnity health insurance, the main causes of these disputes, and issues such as the leakage of health insurance finances due to excessive use of medical services. Furthermore, it aimed to explore specific improvement measures such as linking public and private insurance and enhancing financial consumer protection.
In his opening remarks, Lee Chanjin, Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, stated, "Indemnity health insurance has long faced structural problems such as moral hazard and overtreatment, and the 'third-party risk' posed by certain medical institutions that inflate non-covered services has become more severe, highlighting the need for comprehensive improvements." He added, "On the private insurance side, this leads to disputes between insurance companies and consumers; on the public insurance side, it results in the leakage of health insurance finances and avoidance of unprofitable essential medical services, causing numerous side effects."
Governor Lee proposed three directions for improvement to address these issues: restructuring indemnity health insurance products, strengthening guidance related to insurance payouts, and improving payout practices.
In his congratulatory remarks, Assemblyman Park Chandae said, "I hope to see substantial supervisory improvements that correct overtreatment related to non-covered services and the practice of denying insurance payouts," adding, "By strengthening the obligation to provide payout information, introducing pre-consultation channels and standardized guidance, and addressing excessive document requests and internal medical review issues, we can better protect consumer rights."
The forum featured presentations on three topics: the current status and issues of indemnity health insurance disputes; measures to enhance the sustainability of public and private insurance; and improvements in the supervision of indemnity health insurance for consumer protection.
The Financial Supervisory Service plans to closely coordinate with the National Assembly and relevant ministries regarding on-site opinions and policy recommendations raised at the forum, and to actively reflect these in its supervisory work going forward.
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