Ankle Ligament Repair and Reconstruction Surgery Cost Calculator

Build a South Korean ankle ligament surgery budget from an itemised hospital quote, rehabilitation plan, work interruption, confirmed insurance payment, and medical-expense tax credit.

Health scenario inputs

Enter Korea-related health, medical cost, screening, maternity, dental, eye, or surgery assumptions. Results are simplified planning estimates.

Procedure gross cost

₩0

Insurance or support amount

₩0

Estimated self-pay amount

₩0

Recovery reserve add-on

₩0

3 month recovery

This English screen is a simplified budget planner for ankle ligament surgery in South Korea. The detailed Korean implementation separates open repair, arthroscopic repair, graft reconstruction, and revision or combined reconstruction; covered and non-covered itemised quotes; brace and equipment costs; rehabilitation; income interruption; insurer-confirmed payment; and the medical-expense tax credit. The 2026 HIRA KDRG classification lists N0931 simple tendon and ligament plasty and N0932 complex tendon and ligament plasty as consultation anchors, but they do not automatically determine the code for a Broström-type repair, arthroscopy, graft reconstruction, or an individual bill. The ordinary inpatient planning rate is 20%; meals, outpatient lines, selective benefits, special payer rules, and non-covered items can differ. All provider and rehabilitation prices start at zero and are not official fees or national averages. This tool does not replace diagnosis, treatment selection, an itemised hospital quote, NHIS or HIRA review, insurer confirmation, employment advice, or tax advice.

Related calculators

Planning an ankle ligament repair or reconstruction bill in South Korea

A search for Broström surgery cost or ankle ligament reconstruction cost can make the operation look like a single-price service. A real household budget is broader. It can combine imaging, anesthesia, inpatient care, ligament repair, suture anchors or augmentation material, arthroscopy, treatment of an associated cartilage or impingement lesion, a brace, crutches, rehabilitation, transport, caregiver time, and income interruption.

The composition also changes when the clinical discussion moves from open repair to arthroscopic repair, graft reconstruction, or a revision involving several structures. A technique label does not reveal which line is covered by Korea’s National Health Insurance Service, which line uses a different patient-share rule, and which line is non-covered.

This calculator therefore starts every hospital and rehabilitation price at KRW 0. It asks for the provider’s itemised covered and non-covered quote, then separates associated procedures, equipment, rehabilitation, income interruption, insurer-confirmed payment, and the incremental Korean medical-expense tax credit. It is a cash-planning tool, not a diagnosis, coding decision, or treatment selector.

Korea-based estimate and a zero-price starting policy

No verified official source establishes one national retail price for ankle ligament repair or reconstruction. Starting at zero avoids presenting an invented average, minimum, or recommended charge. Replace each zero with the current itemised quote from the hospital, rehabilitation provider, equipment supplier, or insurer before using the result for a financial decision.

The calculator does not decide whether an operation is needed, whether the ligament can be repaired, which graft is appropriate, or when weight bearing, driving, exercise, and work should resume. Those decisions belong to the treating clinical team.

Eight cost groups behind the estimate

Covered surgery and admission total

Enter the part of the hospital quote that is covered and uses the same patient-share percentage. The ordinary inpatient planning rate begins at 20%, but meals, room charges, outpatient lines, selective benefits, and special eligibility rules may require separate treatment.

Non-covered procedure and material

Enter only charges that the provider identifies as non-covered, such as a separately billed anchor, augmentation material, graft, or procedure. Arthroscopic or revision wording alone does not establish non-covered status.

Associated tests and procedures

Use this line for the patient payment for MRI, a separately quoted arthroscopic line, or treatment of cartilage, synovial, or impingement pathology outside the core ligament quote. Enter the patient payment, so the 20% rate is not applied twice.

Brace, crutches, and equipment

Include purchase or rental payments for a walking boot, ankle brace, crutches, cooling equipment, or another device. Confirm whether the provider quote already includes the item before adding it again.

Clinic or hospital rehabilitation

Multiply the planned number of rehabilitation visits by the expected patient payment per visit. When covered and non-covered care is mixed, use the actual payment explained by the provider.

Income interruption

Multiply the planning weeks by the net weekly income gap after paid leave, employer support, or another confirmed payment. The number is a household budget assumption, not a prediction of medical recovery.

Transport and caregiver living cost

Add transport, parking, caregiver time, and practical household support. These are cash needs, but the model does not treat them as medical expenses for the tax-credit calculation.

Insurer payment and tax credit

Subtract only an amount confirmed by the insurer. The calculator then estimates the additional Korean medical-expense tax credit created by this episode, rather than presenting the entire annual credit as surgery savings.

Four surgical paths used to organise the quote

The four choices organise cost drivers and consultation questions. They are not clinical eligibility tests. The calculator does not use a stress-radiograph value, MRI phrase, injury duration, number of injured ligaments, age, or activity level to prescribe a technique. Tissue quality, associated pathology, prior surgery, patient goals, examination, imaging, and surgeon judgment all matter.

Open repair and augmentation

This path describes an open discussion in which damaged ligament and surrounding tissue are inspected and repaired or augmented. Ask for the exact operation name, the ligaments included, the number of anchors or tapes, the benefit status of each material, and whether the brace and first follow-up visits are included.

A modified Broström label does not automatically establish one Korean billing code. The operative record and provider claim control the actual code and benefit status.

Arthroscopic repair and augmentation

This path describes repair or augmentation discussed with arthroscopic assessment. Ask whether the arthroscopy line, disposable supplies, suture materials, and treatment of synovial, impingement, or cartilage pathology are included in the ligament quote or billed separately.

A smaller incision does not automatically mean a lower bill, a shorter admission, or a fully non-covered operation. Each item needs its own quote and benefit classification.

Autograft or allograft reconstruction

This path applies when the consultation concerns reconstruction with the patient’s own tendon or donor tissue rather than direct repair. Separate graft harvest, donor graft, bone tunnels, screws or buttons, additional incisions, admission, and rehabilitation.

The calculator does not choose a graft or determine reconstruction eligibility. Record the exact plan and material unit from the treating provider.

Revision or combined reconstruction

This path covers a consultation after prior surgery or a plan involving several ligaments or associated lesions. Obtain separate lines for removal of prior anchors or screws, the new graft and fixation, cartilage or impingement procedures, admission, and a revised rehabilitation plan.

Revision wording does not make the whole episode covered or non-covered. Each procedure, material, and admission line can follow a different rule.

What the verified 2026 official sources establish

HIRA identifiers N0931 and N0932

The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, commonly called HIRA, lists N0931 simple tendon and ligament plasty for excision, repair, or release, and N0932 complex tendon and ligament plasty for grafting, transfer, exchange, or artificial-tendon plasty in the 2026 KDRG Classification Book Version 4.7. The publication registration number is G000EV3-2025-174, and the entries appear on PDF pages 584 and 586.

These identifiers confirm that the Korean procedure framework contains simple and complex tendon or ligament plasty categories. They do not prove that a particular modified Broström repair must be N0931 or that every graft reconstruction must be N0932. The operation record, associated procedures, materials, provider coding, and final review control the claim.

Ordinary inpatient 20% planning rate

Article 19 and Annex 2 of the Enforcement Decree of the National Health Insurance Act use 20% of the covered total, excluding separately governed meal and other lines, as the ordinary inpatient structure. The current statute search returned law ID 002813, MST 283469, and current-history status, with an effective date of February 19, 2026. The copayment annex has serial 17976571.

The annex also treats meals, some room categories, outpatient care, selective benefits, age-based rules, and special eligibility differently. Apply 20% only to the covered quote lines that the provider says use that rate. If the itemised quote shows a different percentage, edit the field and keep the reason in the billing record.

Medical-expense tax credit and indemnity payment

Article 59-4(2) of the Income Tax Act uses a basic 15% credit for qualifying ordinary medical expenses above gross salary × 3%. The ordinary dependent group has a KRW 7,000,000 cap on the eligible credit base, while statutory groups such as the taxpayer, qualifying older or young dependants, disabled persons, and registered special-case patients follow the applicable uncapped category rules. The current act search returned law ID 001565 and MST 280405. The act is effective July 1, 2026, while the article record shows January 1, 2026 for Article 59-4.

Article 118-5 of the Income Tax Act Enforcement Decree excludes paid indemnity medical-insurance benefits from medical expenses directly borne by the worker. The current decree search returned law ID 003956 and MST 286211, effective July 1, 2026. The model therefore subtracts the insurer-confirmed payment before measuring the incremental credit base and applies the ordinary × 15% rate only to the increase.

How the calculation works

1. Covered and patient-paid medical cost

Covered charge = covered quote per side × number of sides.
Covered copayment = covered charge × entered patient-share percentage.
Non-covered procedure = non-covered quote per side × number of sides.
Rehabilitation = planned visits × patient payment per visit.
Medical out of pocket = covered copayment + non-covered procedure + associated procedures + equipment + rehabilitation.

2. Recovery cash need and insurer payment

Income interruption = planning weeks × net weekly income gap.
Gross cash need = medical out of pocket + income interruption + transport and caregiver cost.
Insurer payment used = smaller of the confirmed payment and medical out of pocket.
Medical cost after insurance = medical out of pocket − insurer payment used.

3. Incremental Korean medical-expense credit

Threshold = gross salary × 3%.
Base before = eligible base from other annual medical expense.
Base after = eligible base after adding this episode’s medical cost after insurance.
Incremental credit = increase in eligible base × 15%.
Ordinary-dependent eligible base is capped at KRW 7,000,000.

4. Net burden and planning range

Net patient burden = gross cash need − insurer payment used − incremental tax credit.
Planning range = net patient burden ± the entered variation percentage.

The range is not a statistical confidence interval and does not predict the hospital bill. It is a user-selected cash buffer for uncertain materials, associated procedures, rehabilitation, or household costs.

Step-by-step use

  1. Choose the path being discussed.
    Use the card to reveal relevant cost drivers and consultation questions. Do not treat the choice as a recommendation or eligibility result.
  2. Request an itemised provider quote.
    Separate covered gross charges using one patient-share rate, non-covered procedure or material charges, arthroscopy or associated procedures, and equipment.
  3. Check the billing unit.
    Enter the covered and non-covered core surgery as a per-side amount. Enter associated procedures, equipment, rehabilitation, and living costs as whole-plan totals.
  4. Add rehabilitation and income interruption.
    Use the clinician-approved rehabilitation plan and the actual household income gap after paid leave or confirmed support.
  5. Use confirmed insurance and tax inputs.
    Enter only an insurer-confirmed payment. Exclude indemnity reimbursements from other annual eligible medical expenses and select the relevant tax group.
  6. Turn the result into follow-up questions.
    Review the largest category and every item still left at zero, then ask the provider, rehabilitation service, supplier, insurer, or tax professional for the missing evidence.

Worked validation example

One-side hypothetical itemised quote

Assume a one-side covered quote of KRW 4,000,000 at 20%, a non-covered procedure and material quote of KRW 1,200,000, associated-procedure patient payment of KRW 300,000, equipment of KRW 200,000, and 16 rehabilitation visits at KRW 50,000 each. Add six weeks of income interruption at KRW 200,000 per week and KRW 300,000 of transport or caregiver cost.

Enter an insurer-confirmed payment of KRW 1,000,000, annual gross salary of KRW 50,000,000, other eligible medical expense of KRW 1,000,000, the uncapped statutory group, and a 10% planning variation.

  • Covered copayment: KRW 800,000; modeled NHIS share: KRW 3,200,000.
  • Rehabilitation: KRW 800,000; total medical out of pocket: KRW 3,300,000.
  • Income interruption: KRW 1,200,000; non-medical recovery cost: KRW 1,500,000.
  • Gross cash need: KRW 4,800,000; medical cost after insurance: KRW 2,300,000.
  • Salary threshold: KRW 1,500,000; incremental tax credit: KRW 270,000.
  • Net patient burden: KRW 3,530,000.
  • 10% planning range: KRW 3,177,000 to KRW 3,883,000.

This example validates the arithmetic. It is not a Korean national average, a provider quote, an insurer decision, or a recommended budget for a particular patient.

Questions to ask before accepting a quote

Procedure and billing unit

  • What is the exact planned operation name and claim procedure?
  • Does the provider expect N0931, N0932, or another procedure identifier, and why?
  • Is the figure per side, for both ankles, per procedure, or for the whole treatment plan?
  • Are arthroscopy and associated cartilage, synovial, or impingement procedures separate?
  • Which covered quote lines share the entered patient-share rate?

Materials and post-discharge cost

  • How many anchors, tapes, screws, buttons, or graft products are planned?
  • Which material is covered, selective-benefit, full patient payment, or non-covered?
  • Are the brace, walking boot, crutches, cooling device, and dressings included?
  • How many follow-up and rehabilitation visits should be budgeted?
  • What operation name and code will appear on the insurer documentation?

Practical planning scenarios

Comparing two hospital quotes

Compare the same units rather than the headline total. One provider may include a brace, postoperative imaging, and early follow-up, while another lists them separately. Align the covered gross total, non-covered material, associated procedure, equipment, admission, and rehabilitation scope before treating a price gap as a true difference.

Planning bilateral surgery

Selecting two sides doubles only the per-side covered and non-covered core-surgery quotes. Anesthesia, admission, associated procedures, equipment, and rehabilitation may not double in the same way. Obtain the actual bilateral billing unit and enter those whole-plan amounts directly.

Budgeting work interruption

Combine the clinical plan for weight bearing, driving, and work duties with the employer’s paid-leave and modified-duty rules. Enter only the remaining net weekly gap. Keep this non-medical cash need visible instead of hiding it inside a hospital-cost estimate.

Reviewing a revision quote

Ask whether prior material removal, new graft harvest or purchase, multiligament reconstruction, and associated cartilage work appear as separate lines. Use the variation field for an explicit household reserve, but do not use it as a substitute for a provider contingency explanation.

Limits and cautions

  • The result does not diagnose chronic ankle instability, determine whether surgery is needed, select a technique, or predict outcome.
  • N0931 and N0932 are verified HIRA procedure-framework anchors, not automatic code assignments for a named operation.
  • The ordinary 20% inpatient rate applies only to covered quote lines confirmed to use that rate. Meals, room charges, outpatient care, selective benefits, and full patient-payment lines can differ.
  • The model does not calculate workers’ compensation, automobile insurance, Medical Aid, veterans’ support, or another separate payer system.
  • The model does not estimate the annual copayment-ceiling refund. Use a separately confirmed refund only after the relevant authority determines it.
  • Private insurance depends on the contract, generation, rider, deductible, benefit status, medical necessity review, and documentation. Only a confirmed expected payment belongs in the input.
  • The tax result is an incremental planning estimate. It does not reproduce every mixed-family ordering rule, evidence requirement, tax-liability limit, or reimbursement-year rule.
  • Complications, delayed recovery, infection, nerve injury, thrombosis, recurrent instability, and revision probability are not predicted or monetised.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Broström operation always billed as N0931?

No. N0931 is a verified simple tendon and ligament plasty anchor, but the actual claim depends on the operative record, scope, associated procedures, materials, provider coding, and review. Ask the hospital for the planned operation name and procedure identifier.

Is an arthroscopic ankle ligament operation automatically non-covered?

No. Arthroscopic technique wording does not determine the benefit status of the entire episode. The ligament procedure, arthroscopy line, disposable supplies, and associated procedures can follow different rules. Use an itemised quote.

Why does the calculator begin with a 20% covered patient share?

It uses the ordinary inpatient structure in Article 19 and Annex 2 as a planning default. Meals, room charges, outpatient services, selective benefits, age-based rules, and special eligibility can differ, so edit the field to match the provider quote.

Can the calculator estimate indemnity insurance automatically?

No. Enrollment date, contract generation, riders, deductibles, exclusions, non-covered coverage, limits, and medical review differ by policy. Enter only an amount confirmed by the insurer after sharing the operation name, code, and quote.

Are a brace and rehabilitation always eligible for the tax credit?

Not automatically. Payments to a medical institution and some prescribed medical devices can qualify when statutory and evidence requirements are met, but every retail purchase, rental, or exercise service is not automatically eligible. Confirm the receipt and tax treatment.

Does selecting two sides double every cost?

No. The model doubles only the covered and non-covered core-surgery quotes entered per side. Anesthesia, admission, associated procedures, equipment, and rehabilitation use whole-plan inputs because their billing units can differ.

Official sources and update date

The official procedure, copayment, and tax sources were checked on July 27, 2026. If the procedure classification, patient-share rules, or tax law changes, maintainers should update the requirements document, constants, deterministic tests, and both language guides together.

Turn an itemised quote into a household funding plan

Enter the provider’s covered and non-covered quote, planned rehabilitation, and insurer-confirmed payment above. Leave an unknown item at zero, then use the consultation checklist to obtain the missing billing unit and evidence before committing funds.