Health insurance policies for magnetic resonance imaging tests in Korea

On August 9, 2017, the government announced a policy to strengthen health insurance coverage. The main goal is to increase the health insurance coverage rate and lower the national medical expense burden by an average of 18% by 2022. This policy was proposed without consulting doctors, a major medical care provider, and raised the impression of populism. It is a concern that this policy may place an additional financial burden on the medical clinics, which are already suffering due to poor financial circumstances. Although the policy is already in progress, it is necessary to carefully review whether the government and the medical community can afford it in terms of the national healthcare financial burden and the implementation possibility of this policy. There is no disagreement on the efficient supply of qualified medical care. However, it must be a sustainable system in Korea. Simply increasing the coverage rate does not increase the quality of healthcare. This study aims to analyze the government's health insurance policy for magnetic resonance imaging tests and suggest proper countermeasures.