Korean Medical Association pushes for elderly outpatient fee reform

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) is campaigning to reform the elderly outpatient fixed-sum system, which is intended to reduce medical costs for senior citizens. The KMA argues that the current structure causes patient out-of-pocket expenses to spike sharply once medical fees exceed a certain threshold, potentially defeating the system's original purpose.

To gather support and field data, the KMA and regional medical associations have been visiting various regional branches of the Korea Senior Citizens Association across the country, including provinces such as Jeonnam, Chungnam, Gyeongbuk, and others. The association aims to highlight how the sudden increase in costs leads to complaints between patients and medical institutions, and may cause seniors to delay or avoid necessary medical treatment due to financial concerns.

In addition to these visits, the KMA is conducting public signature campaigns and perception surveys. The organization plans to use the collected feedback and survey results to propose concrete policy improvements to the National Assembly and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to ensure the system effectively supports the elderly in an aging society.