Ministry of Gender Equality and Family: "Health Insurance Coverage for Foreign Spouses in De Facto Marital Relationships Should Be Eased"

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Recommends to Ministry of Health and Welfare
Implement Gender Sensitivity Training in Early Childhood Care Programs
Consider Gender Balance When Hiring Firefighters

The above photo is not related to the article. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] A recommendation has been made to ease the obstacles in proving family relationships for foreign health insurance subscribers so that foreign spouses in de facto marital relationships can also be recognized as dependents of workplace subscribers and members of regional subscriber households.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on the 1st that, based on the results of a specific gender impact assessment conducted in 2019, it recommended improvements to related ministries on four policies, including this matter, infant care projects, revitalization of local communities, and the recruitment system for firefighters.

The current foreign health insurance subscription system only recognizes legally married spouses and minor children as household members, excluding spouses in de facto marital relationships. Foreign spouses in de facto relationships must subscribe separately as regional subscribers, who face a heavy insurance premium burden, making them reluctant to enroll. Additionally, foreign women have lower employment rates compared to men, and even when employed, they are more likely to work in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors or in domestic work and caregiving fields where workplace subscription is difficult to apply, resulting in a lower health insurance subscription rate for women than men.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family recommended that the Ministry of Health and Welfare ease the family relationship proof requirements for foreign health insurance subscribers and prepare improvement measures to reduce the burden on foreign regional health insurance subscribers who pay higher premiums than the average domestic regional subscribers. It also added that a medical support project for marginalized groups should be developed and promoted to support the health of foreign women not covered by the National Health Insurance due to insufficient stay periods, including pregnancy and childbirth.

It was recommended that the Ministry of Health and Welfare mandate gender-sensitivity education in the Central Childcare Policy Committee and local childcare policy committees that review infant care projects, develop teaching materials and programs to raise awareness of gender equality in early childhood, and conduct gender-sensitivity education for parents of young children.

Additionally, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety was advised to establish regulations to provide gender equality education to participants in local communities such as village workshops and village enterprises. The Fire Agency was recommended to review improvement plans for recruitment methods, including physical fitness standards, to enable firefighter recruitment with gender balance in mind.

Kim Kyung-sun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, said, "This improvement recommendation is meaningful in that it reflects a gender-sensitive perspective in areas closely related to citizens' lives," adding, "We will continue to improve policies and systems to ensure that people do not experience gender-based discrimination in their daily lives."

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