A patient who cut about 1 centimetre of skin between the nose and upper lip paid 1,929,700 won for treatment at a plastic surgery clinic in July. The clinic said it would use the best materials because a scar could remain, and 1.87 million won, or about 97 percent of the bill, covered medicines and materials not covered by national health insurance.
The Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice called for mandatory explanations of covered alternatives and restrictions on mixing covered and non-covered treatment.