The Korean Medical Association expressed opposition to the reform plan for non-covered medical services and health insurance announced by the Presidential Medical Reform Special Committee.
On the 10th, the association issued a statement saying, "We are appalled by the hasty and anti-human rights policies that disregard the health rights of the public," and added, "We express serious concerns and a severe warning against the continuation of policies that seek only to represent the interests of major insurance companies by reducing the coverage of non-covered services and controlling non-covered medical practices in the Presidential Medical Reform Special Committee, which should be suspended due to the president's job suspension.
The following day, the special committee announced plans to strengthen management of non-covered services that are at risk of overuse and misuse, expanding patient burdens to 90-95%. They also presented reform measures for health insurance that would limit coverage when both non-covered and covered services are performed simultaneously in medical institutions. The newly launched fifth-generation health insurance would also include plans that reduce coverage for mild non-covered cases and focus on severe cases.
In response, the association pointed out, "Non-covered medical practices have proven medical safety and effectiveness," stating, "It is merely due to the financial limitations of health insurance that they cannot be covered."
They argued that limiting non-covered practices that are covered by health insurance would increase the medical expenses burden on the public and make it difficult to provide timely and appropriate medical services. The association stated, "The issue of excessive non-covered services originally stems from the product design problems of insurance companies," and emphasized, "The government's attempt to control and manage prices without respecting private autonomy is no different from disregarding the judgment of physicians."
The association highlighted, "This reform plan will be an illegal policy that infringes upon the health rights and property rights of the public," adding that it is obvious that it will restrict patients' choices in medical care and deteriorate the quality of medical services. They demanded that the government acknowledge its policy mistakes and withdraw the health insurance reform policy, which would undoubtedly only benefit major insurance companies.