Health ministry releases non-covered medical fees for 74,449 clinics

The health ministry on Thursday made public the 2026 non-covered medical fees for 74,449 healthcare institutions, covering 753 treatment items on the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service website and mobile app.

The number of disclosed items increased by 60 from last year's 693. For the first time, information on treatment materials is available alongside procedure fees.

An analysis of the 593 items common to both years showed that average prices rose for 73.5 percent of the items, while 24.6 percent saw a decline. Adjusted for the 3.2 percent consumer price index rise, the real average cost decreased for 75.5 percent of the items.

Among high-cost procedures, the average price for extracorporeal shock wave therapy increased 1.9 percent from the previous year, whereas dental implants dropped 0.9 percent. Proliferation therapy for limb joints saw a 0.9 percent average increase, nebulizer treatments rose 2 percent, and rapid antigen tests for influenza A and B showed no change.

Significant price disparities between institutions were observed for several key treatments. For extracorporeal shock wave therapy, the median cost was 70,000 won at one clinic in Gyeonggi Province compared to a maximum of 175,000 won at a Seoul facility. Similarly, proliferation therapy ranged from a median of 50,000 won in Seoul to a high of 201,000 won at a clinic in North Gyeongsang Province.

Price variability between medical institutions increased overall for 56.8 percent of the items, though it narrowed for 40.8 percent. Specific increases in inter-institution price gaps were noted for nebulizer treatments, influenza rapid tests, and dental implants.

Yoo Ju-heon, director of the health insurance policy bureau at the health ministry, said the system is designed to protect consumers' right to information and facilitate reasonable usage of non-covered services. He added that the ministry plans to continue improving the disclosure system by gathering feedback from both consumers and the medical community.

Hong Seung-kwon, chief of the assessment service, stated that the organization will expand the provision of necessary non-covered information and enhance the convenience of the underlying information system.