Starting from today, patients in non-emergency situations will have to pay more if they visit emergency medical centers at large hospitals.
Ahn Sung-jin explains.
From now on, people will have to pay more for a visit to general hospital-level emergency medical centers.
Starting from Friday those who are mildly ill or in non-emergency situations will be paying 90 percent of their treatment costs, which was originally at 50 to 60 percent.
This is according to the Health Ministry which stated that it will enforce a partial revision of the National Health Insurance Act starting Friday.
For example, if a person with a mild illness -such as a cold or an upset stomach -uses an emergency room at a regional emergency medical center or a regional external trauma center,
the costs they’ll pay will rise from 130-thousand to 220-thousand won, roughly 98 U.S. dollars to 165 dollars.
The government stated that this is mostly to prevent overcrowding in emergency rooms and to efficiently deploy limited medical resources, so that people in emergency situations can receive treatment promptly.
“Regional emergency medical centers have the facilities and equipment equivalent to, or higher than, general hospitals so they are suitable for treating severely ill patients. Those with relatively less severe illnesses should use smaller emergency rooms or clinics. That’s why we implemented this regulation.”
The Health Ministry also emphasizes that when visiting a regular regional hospital or clinic, there is no change to the costs, only when mildly ill patients visit one of the 44 general hospital-level regional emergency medical centers.
The official also added that for moderate illnesses, the quality of service may be much better at local hospitals rather than higher-level hospitals and emergency medical centers.
However, some raise concerns that if the burden of medical costs increases without any alternative, those who are financially vulnerable may not be able to receive the care they need.
Ahn Sung-jin, Arirang News.
source : https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=276110
