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Starting in 2024, foreigners will have to wait six months to qualify as a dependent of an employee enrolled in health insurance. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, an amendment to the Health Insurance Act containing these contents was recently passed at a plenary meeting of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee. If the amendment passes the plenary session of the National Assembly, it is expected to take effect between early January and early March 2024.
What is the Korean health insurance system like?
*Difference between employee subscribers and local subscribers: Korea’s health insurance system is divided into employee subscribers and local subscribers. Employee subscribers refer to people who work for a company and sign up for health insurance under the company. Local subscribers are a method for people who do not have a company to sign up. Depending on this difference, the method of calculating and collecting insurance premiums varies.
*What is a dependent? : A dependent is a person who depends on the health insurance subscriber for their livelihood and usually refers to a family member. Family members registered as dependents can receive insurance services without paying insurance premiums. For this reason, many Koreans want to be registered as dependents to save on health insurance premiums.
What are the regulations for registering dependents of foreigners?
*Already in effect for local subscribers: Local subscribers still have to wait six months after entering Korea to register their foreign relatives as dependents. This rule is already in effect. However, registration of foreign dependents of employed subscribers was newly created because there was no such regulation.
*Why did they make the rule? : Some foreign workers register their family members who do not live in Korea but reside abroad as dependents, and when these family members become ill, they are brought into the country to receive health insurance benefits such as treatment and surgery. This is to prevent this.
*There are exceptions: However, if the dependent is a minor child or spouse, and if he or she has status of residence such as marriage immigration, permanent residence, or studying abroad, he or she can immediately sign up for health insurance or be registered as a dependent and receive benefits. Diplomats and family members of foreign company employees can also receive health insurance benefits right away.
Foreigners are the backbone of Korean health insurance!
*Do Koreans know? : Korean health insurance is famous for providing great medical services at a low cost. Therefore, there is a large health insurance financial deficit every year. However, foreigners’ health insurance finances continued to record a surplus. Last year alone, we recorded a surplus of 556 billion won. At this level, it is no exaggeration to say that Korea's health insurance system is maintained by collecting health insurance premiums from foreigners.
*Health insurance services for foreigners need to be strengthened: While recording such a huge health insurance surplus every year, the health services provided by the Korean government to foreigners are very poor. We need to lower the health insurance premiums that are unfairly collected from foreigners due to the inability to determine the size of their assets, and further strengthen services.
Mary Eve of Papaya Story
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