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Chungcheongbuk-do

What is national health insurance?

The National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC) is under the general supervision of the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, and serves as the sole public insurance company administering national health insurance. There are two main types of national health insurance: employee insurance (Workplace Health Insurance) and self-employed or individual insurance (Community Health Insurance). As a contracting party, the NHI system provides insurance benefits according to the needs of the enrolled insured by collecting insurance premiums to create a fund. In this way, this system allows for sharing the burden of the insured and helps provide medical services.

Conditions for enrollment

• Those who have registered as foreigners at the Immigration Office are entitled to apply for national health insurance with NHIC when one of the following conditions is met.
• Foreigners who are employers or employees at a workplace in Korea registered with the NHIC can be covered as employed insured under Workplace Medical Insurance.
• Foreigners who are not eligible for Workplace Medical Insurance but who hold one of the following statuses of sojourn can enroll in Community Health Insurance as self-employed insured: F-2, F-4, D-1~9, E-1~5, E-7~8, and F-1 (spouses and children of Korean nationals), as well as spouses of foreigners and their children under the age of 20.

Enrollment procedures and required documentation

• To receive Workplace Medical Insurance (employed insured), a foreign worker must submit an application form for enrollment to the employer of their workplace, who is legally responsible for submitting the application to the NHIC along with relevant documents, including a certificate of foreign registration. Enrollment is effective retroactively from the date of employment.
• To enroll in Community Health Insurance (self-employed insured), a foreigner can submit an application for enrollment along with their alien registration card and passport (including entry and departure records) at the nearest NHIC office. Enrollment applies retroactively from the date their sojourn was registered.

Payment of insurance premiums

• In the case of Workplace Medical Insurance (employed insured), the monthly contribution is calculated according to the employee’s monthly salary × contribution rate, of which the employer pays half (50%).The payment is deducted from the monthly salary, and the obligation to pay monthly contributions is retroactive to the date of enrollee’s employment.
• In the case of Community Health Insurance (self-employed insured), the monthly contribution of those receiving income is calculated according to monthly income × contribution rate. For those without available income data, the monthly rate is the average of the monthly insurance fee of self-employed individuals during the previous year.
• In the case of foreign students, monthly contributions are reduced by 30%. The payments must be submitted in advance every three months, except for foreigners with F-1 or F-2 status, whose contributions are calculated on a monthly basis, using the same method applied to Korean citizens.

Contributions and payments

• The insurance benefits allotted to foreigners are the same as those of Korean citizens. When receiving treatment at medical facilities, whether foreigner or Korean, insured persons and their dependents are required to pay only the following charges.
• For treatment at hospitals or clinics : 20%~50% of total amount of charges covered by NHI.
• For prescription medicines at a pharmacy : 30% of total amount of charges covered by NHI.