Hospital and pharmacy usage fees to be paid 30-50% more during Chuseok holidays

During the Chuseok holiday from the 14th to the 18th, general patients visiting hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies will pay 30-50% more than usual.

On the 12th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it would apply the ‘Saturday, Night, and Holiday Medical Fee Surcharge System’ during the five-day Chuseok holiday.

This system compensates for overtime work by adding the consultation fee and dispensing fee to the patient’s share of all medical institutions (including hospitals, pharmacies, dental clinics, and oriental medicine clinics) operating at night, on Saturday afternoons, and on public holidays. Medical institutions charge patients an additional 30-50%, and pharmacies charge patients an additional 30%.

Specifically, the initial examination fee will increase from 17,610 won to 22,893 won. Of this, the patient will pay 30%, or 6,868 won. The remaining 70% will be covered by the National Health Insurance Corporation. However, the additional fee only applies to the basic examination fee, so if you receive additional tests or treatments, the patient’s share will increase further. The additional rate for emergency treatment costs such as anesthesia, treatment, and surgery in an emergency situation is around 50%.

However, during this holiday, the rate of increase in consultation fees and dispensing fees will be temporarily increased by 50%, but the patient’s share of the cost will not increase. The increased cost will be covered by health insurance.

Accordingly, if the consultation fee surcharge rate is increased from 30% to 50%, the amount increased will be approximately 3,000 won. For convenience of processing, the additional consultation fee borne by health insurance will be increased to a flat rate of 3,000 won. The pharmacy dispensing fee will also be applied in the same way, with health insurance paying an additional 1,000 won.

In particular, the consultation fees of specialists working in emergency rooms (regional emergency medical centers, specialized emergency medical centers) with a high risk of medical gaps will be additionally compensated. During the two weeks before and after the Chuseok holiday (13th to 22nd), the consultation fees of emergency room specialists will be increased by an additional 100% from the previous 150%, up to a maximum of 250%.