Significance of national health insurance
Concept of national health insurance
- The “national health insurance” means, in order to prevent an excessive burden on the household budget caused by high medical expenses incurred by illness or injury, a social security system administered and run by the National Health Insurance Service as an insurer with the premiums paid by citizens, which provides insurance benefits, when necessary, to allow citizens to share the risk among them and receive the necessary medical services.
Characteristics of national health insurance
- Compulsory subscription and premium payment
- If the system allows citizens to evade insurance subscription, only those who have high risk of illness will subscribe to insurance, and thus the purpose of the health insurance system that seeks to share risks among them and jointly pay medical expenses will not be achieved. Therefore, if a person satisfies certain legal requirements, he/she will be obliged to subscribe to health insurance regardless of his/her intention and will be imposed with the duty to pay the premiums.
- Imposition of premiums depending on the ability to pay
- While a subscriber is required to pay premiums depending on the scope of coverage, the degree of the risk of illness, the terms and conditions of an insurance contract, and more, the national health insurance run as a type of social insurance aims to address the issue arising from the medical cost based on the social solidarity, and thus, premiums are paid according to the ability to pay premiums, such as the level of income.
- Equitable coverage
- The coverage provided under private insurance varies by individuals depending on the level of income and the terms of the contract, but the national health insurance, a type of social insurance, pays equal insurance benefits according to associated laws and regulations, regardless of the level of premiums paid.
People entitled to the coverage of national health insurance
Entitlement
- All citizens who reside in Korea will be a subscriber of health insurance (hereinafter referred to as “subscribers”), excluding those who are eligible to receive health care benefits under the “Medical Care Assistance Act” (Article 5 (1) of the “National Health Insurance Act”).
- All foreign nationals and overseas Korean nationals who stay in Korea for six months or longer will be obligated to subscribe to health insurance as self-employed insured to receive the same insurance benefits as the citizens of the Republic of Korea (Website of the National Health Insurance Service - Policy Center - National Health Insurance - Understanding Health Insurance - Health Insurance System for Foreign Nationals and Overseas Korean Nationals - Subscriber Management).
※ The National Health Insurance Service administers NHIS centers for foreign residents to provide professional counseling in relation to health insurance for foreign nationals and overseas Korean nationals. In particular, if you wish to deal with any affairs related to eligibility as self-employed insured or any modification thereto that requires the personal visit of a subscriber of foreign nationality or overseas Korean nationality with a registered place of domicile in the following regions, you need to visit a NHIS center for foreign residents, not a branch of the National Health Insurance Service (In case of place of domicile registered in other regions, all the inquiries and business can be handled in the relevant branch of the NHIS).
√ Residents of Seoul: Seoul Civil NHIS Center for Foreign Residents
√ Residents of Ansan, Siheung, and Gunpo: Incheon-Gyeonggi Civil NHIS Center for Foreign Residents
√ Residents of Suwon, Yongin, Hwaseong, Osan, and Seongnam: Incheon-Gyeonggi Civil NHIS Center for Foreign Residents (Suwon)
√ Residents of Incheon, Bucheon, Gimpo, and Gwangmyug: Incheon-Gyeonggi Civil NHIS Center for Foreign Residents (Incheon)
√ Residents of Uijeongbu, Namyangju, Gapyeong, Pocheon, Dongducheon, Yeoncheon, Yangju, Guri, Goyang, and Paju: Incheon-Gyeonggi NHIS Center for Foreign Residents (Uijeongbu)
※ For further details about the NHIS center for foreign residents of the National Health Insurance Service, go to <Website of the National Health Insurance Service - About Us - NHIS Center> or call the hotline service in foreign languages of the National Health Insurance Service (☎ 1577-1000, speed dial no. 7) or NHIS Center for Foreign Residents [☎ 033-811-2000, foreign languages available (English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Uzbek).