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KMID : 1234820070080020069
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Korean Society of Law and Medicine
2007 Volume.8 No. 2 p.69 ~ p.118
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Legal Standings of the Patient and the Doctor within the National Health Insurance - With its focus on the issue of arbitrary medical charge cover -
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Hyun Doo-Youn
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Abstract
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In providing general medical treatments, the medical service contract between the patient and the doctor is the mutually responsible onerous contract. However, the nature of the mutually assumed contract standings of the patient and the doctor has been changing since the implementation of the national health insurance program. For instance, besides the cases of beyond excessive medical charges and medical negligence, if the doctor charged for his/her medical treatments violating the post-treatment/nursing cover criteria, the overpaid medical charge, regardless of being collected with the patient’s consent, has to be refunded back to the patient. Medically needed aspects, treatment results, and unfair benefits favoring the patient are not at all taken into consideration in the health insurance scheme. This makes it easier for patients to get refunds for their share of the medical payments by involving the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service or the National Health Insurance Corporation, without engaging in civil law suits (for reimbursement claim) against doctors. In other words, the doctor’s responsibility to provide medical treatments and the patient’s responsibility to pay for the medical treatment provided within the contractual realm are being demolished by the administrational arbitration of the National Health Insurance system. The basic rights of medical service providers, and the patient’s right to choose are as important constitutional rights, as the National Health Insurance program, which is essential in the social welfare system. Furthermore, the development of the medical fields should not be prevented by the National Health Insurance system. If the medical treatment services can be divided into necessary treatments, general treatments, and high quality treatments, the National Health Insurance is supposed to guarantee the necessary and general treatments to provide medical treatments equally to all the insured with limited financial resources. However, for the high quality treatments, it is recommended that they should not be interfered by the National Health Insurance system, and that they should be left to the private contract between the patient and the doctor.
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KEYWORD
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National Health Insurance, Doctor, Patient, Legal standings, Private contract between the patient and the doctor, Medical treatment charges, Post-treatment/nursing cover criteria, Unfair benefit, Basic right of medical service provider, Patient’s rights to choose, General treatment
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