Outpatient Copayment to Rise to 90% for Over 300 Visits a Year Starting Next Year

Starting next January, a 90% copayment rate will be applied to individuals who receive more than 300 outpatient treatments per year.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that a partial amendment to the enforcement decree of the National Health Insurance Act containing these measures was approved at today's cabinet meeting.

Among outpatients last year, 7,765 users were counted as exceeding 300 visits annually.

There was even a case where the number of outpatient visits reached 1,775 per year.

To curb such unnecessary excessive medical use, the government raised the copayment rate to 90% in July 2024 for patients exceeding 365 outpatient visits a year, and is now tightening the standard to 300 visits starting next year.

The 90% copayment rate will apply from the 301st outpatient visit onward.

However, exceptions will be made for patients for whom frequent outpatient visits are unavoidable—such as children, pregnant women, and patients with severe, rare, or intractable diseases—even if their outpatient visits exceed 300 per year.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.