Ministry of Health and Welfare and Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service disclose non-covered prices by medical institution
623 items disclosed… 97.3% of hospitals submitted data
As a result of investigating the cost of non-covered medical items, it was found that there was a difference of up to approximately 6.5 million won depending on the hospital for cataract surgery (multifocal lens).
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service announced on the 5th that they will disclose non-covered prices by medical institution in 2024.
Non-covered medical treatment refers to medical treatment that is not covered by health insurance. Since the prices set by each hospital are different, patients have to pay the full amount themselves, which is inconvenient and burdensome.
The non-covered price disclosure system, now in its fourth year, is a system designed to protect the public’s right to know and support rational medical choices by disclosing price information for non-covered treatment items that differ across medical institutions. This year, prices for 623 non-covered items across all medical institutions were disclosed.
Of the 73,731 organizations surveyed, 75,620 organizations, or 97.3%, submitted data. The hospital-level submission rate was 98.8%, and the clinic-level submission rate was 97.2%.
As a result of analyzing the treatment costs of 623 non-covered items, the most common treatment activities were private room fees, manual therapy, pneumococcal and shingles vaccinations, resin fillings and crowns, acupuncture, and chiropractic therapy.
334 items increased in average price this year compared to the previous year, 166 items decreased or declined, and 8 items remained unchanged. Considering the inflation rate of 2.6%, 132 items increased and 376 items decreased.
Looking at the major non-covered items, the lowest price for multifocal lenses (accommodative intraocular lenses) for cataract surgery was 293,000 won, and the highest price was 6.8 million won, a difference of 6.507 million won. The average price was 2.207 million won, and the difference between the average and highest price was 4.593 million won. However, there may be differences in price depending on the product.
In the case of manual therapy, the lowest hospital price was 3,000 won, and the highest was 280,000 won. In the case of general hospitals, the lowest price was 10,000 won, and the highest price was 121,000 won. Manual therapy prices may vary depending on the area of treatment and time.
The cost of HIFU (magnetic resonance guided), a treatment that induces coagulative necrosis in the lesion area for patients with uterine fibroids, was the lowest at 2 million won, the highest at 10.8 million won, and the average at 6.486 million won. The cost of HIFU (ultrasound guided), the lowest at 2 million won, the highest at 18 million won, and the average at 8.182 million won.
Laser vein occlusion, one of the surgeries for varicose veins, costs a minimum of 124,000 won, a maximum of 4,644,000 won, and an average of 1,746,000 won. The cost of shingles vaccination is a minimum of 95,000 won, a maximum of 270,000 won, and an average of 173,000 won. Implants cost a minimum of 380,000 won, a maximum of 4,816,000 won, and an average of 1,207,000 won.
Kwon Byeong-gi, the director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s essential medical support division, said, “We will continue to improve the price disclosure system so that it can provide practical help to the public in making medical choices by listening to opinions from various fields, including consumers and the medical community.”
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2024-09-05 21:02:15