The government plans to selectively raise the insurance fee for over one-thousand types of surgeries for patients with serious illnesses, while restricting excessive treatment with no insurance benefits, as part of medical reforms.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Jeong Kyung-sil, head of the health ministry's medical reforms, announced government plans to enhance compensation in essential medicine by improving the current insurance fee system based on a practitioner's act of medical service.

The government will increase insurance fees for basic treatment and surgery, which have been considered too low relative to taking samples and imaging.
 
The government will increase fees for treating serious illnesses with a high degree of difficulty, emergency rooms, nighttime and holiday medical service, pediatrics and delivery rooms.

It will also seek to improve the non-payment system, including releasing cost price by category, the total treatment fee, and alternative treatment subject to insurance coverage.