As of today, July 1, manual therapy has been placed under managed benefit control, and it is reported that some hospitals and clinics are already resorting to loopholes by recommending alternative treatments.

The government has stated that it will closely monitor these balloon effects.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), manual therapy, which previously had no fixed price, will now be subject to a standardized fee of 43,850 won per session, with a 95% out-of-pocket rate, if performed for 30 minutes or longer, regardless of whether it is at a tertiary general hospital or a local clinic.

The price remains the same even if the treatment lasts for an hour.

This marks a significant reduction in costs, which previously ranged up to 600,000 won, with an average price of 110,000 won.

The number of recognized sessions is limited to twice a week, up to a total of 15 times per year. In cases with clear medical necessity, such as surgery or fractures, it can be extended to a maximum of 24 times per year based on medical judgment.

The new guidelines require patients to first undergo physical or rehabilitation therapy; manual therapy can only be administered starting two weeks later if there is no improvement.

In response, some in the medical community have been sharing loopholes, such as prescribing manual therapy in 15-minute increments to bypass the regulations.

There is also talk of circumventing the rules by prescribing other physical therapies covered by national health insurance alongside manual therapy to make up for lost revenue.

Concerns are also rising that clinics may steer patients toward other non-covered treatments. It is reported that some hospitals are recommending pain scramblers, which cost around 100,000 won for 30 minutes or 200,000 won for an hour, claiming they have similar effects to manual therapy.

A pain scrambler is a non-covered treatment that induces pain relief by applying electrical stimulation through electrodes attached to the skin.

Beyond manual therapy, the government is also pushing to designate percutaneous epidural neuroplasty and radiation hyperthermia as managed benefits.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare explained that there is a strong consensus on the need to manage appropriate price ranges for these treatment methods.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Lee Da-in | Graphics by Lee Soo-min | Produced by SBS Digital News