The government hopes to reduce medical expenses by asking people to pay more for prescription drugs similar to those that can be purchased at drugstores. | GETTY IMAGES

The health ministry plans to start requiring individuals in March 2027 to bear additional costs out of pocket for prescription drugs that are similar in terms of active ingredients and effects to medicine that can be purchased without a doctor's prescription.

Under the system, aimed at curbing medical spending, the co-payment rate for working-age people will effectively rise to 50% of the costs of such over-the-counter (OTC) equivalent medicines.

The ministry will work out details of the system, including the scope of patients to be exempt from the additional burden, with careful explanation needed to avoid confusion among medical service providers and patients.

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