Regulatorische Updates

The Lee Jae‑myung administration set next year's health‑insurance national treasury support at 14.4%, prompting strong opposition from the anti‑privatization movement, which says it breaks the president’s 20% pledge.

The government announced a 13.8 trillion KRW national treasury support for 2027 health insurance, but the Health Insurance Labor Union says the increase is insufficient and amounts to a real reduction.

South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare announced faster reimbursement for Dravet syndrome treatment Fintepla‑Ac and broader coverage for blood‑cancer and pediatric‑leukemia drugs.

839 medical institutions in Korea were found to have submitted false health‑insurance claims totaling 34.79 billion won, with clinics accounting for 42.85% of the amount.

Pergoberis® Pen, an infertility treatment, will be reimbursed under Korea’s health insurance from Sep 1, covering all three dosage strengths.

The number of drugs covered by Korea’s health insurance has fallen steadily, with over‑the‑counter medicines dropping 25.2% over five years—more sharply than prescription drugs.

Over 2.26 million Koreans who surpassed their personal medical expense caps in 2024 will receive a total of 3.76 trillion won in refunds starting Aug 31, 2025.

A Korean citizen petition urges the government to scrap plans to expand non‑face‑to‑face prescription drug delivery, citing health‑insurance strain and safety concerns.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and HIRA issued instructions for residents of Geoje and Tongyeong special disaster zones to cite a ‘C/’ reason when claiming medical benefits for re‑prescribed medicines lost in heavy rain.

HIRA named Prof. Oh Joo-hwan of Seoul National University College of Medicine as director of its Policy Research Institute, effective Sept 1, 2026, highlighting his academic and research experience.

The hospital will hold a forum on Sep 3 at Sonocam Goyang to explore new health‑care governance for regional essential services under recent legislation.

The Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) has appointed Prof. Oh Joo-hwan of Seoul National University College of Medicine as Director of its Policy Research Institute, effective Sept 1.