The minimum period of time required for non-citizens to live in Korea before being able to sign up for national health insurance increases from three months to six months. Refugees are also now allowed to sign up for the national health care plan. The photo shows the Severance Hospital center for non-citizens. (Koreanet DB)
By Lee Kyoung Mi and Kim Min-Jeung
Non-citizens must now stay in Korea for at least six months in order to receive national health insurance benefits. People who are accepted into the country as refugees can also now sign up for the national health care plan.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Aug. 29 that it will pre-announce legislation in revised bills on the “Enforcement Decree of the National Health Insurance Act” and the “Regulation on National Health Insurance Care Benefits.”
According to the revised bill, the minimum period of time required for non-citizens to reside in the country before being able to sign up for national health insurance has increased from three months to six months. This is to prevent non-citizens from leaving Korea immediately after receiving their health insurance benefits for expensive medical procedures. It is also a result of the “Improvement of the National Health Insurance Plan for Non-Citizens and Koreans Abroad” bill that was announced in June.
Moreover, in order to efficiently collect information about non-citizen residents who pay into the Korean national health insurance plan, the groundwork has been laid so that the Ministry of Justice can evaluate non-citizens according to their delinquent payments when evaluating their prolonged stay in the country.
Non-citizen residents who will be allowed to pay the same health insurance fees as citizens are limited to permanent residents (with an F-5 visa) and married immigrants (F-6 visa), whereas visiting companions (F-1) and residents(F-2) will have to pay more than average.
The revised bill also includes information about those who are permitted into the country on a humanitarian stay (G-1), according to the Refugee Act. They can sign up for local health insurance as well.
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