"Confirm Infection Status in 15-30 Minutes"… Rapid Antigen Test Covered by Health Insurance Starting Next Week

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Starting from the 14th, health insurance coverage will be applied to rapid antigen tests that can determine COVID-19 infection status within 15 to 30 minutes. This measure aims to quickly identify asymptomatic carriers and curb the spread of COVID-19.

Yoon Tae-ho, Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters' Quarantine Task Force, stated at the regular briefing on the 11th, "We are promoting measures to enable frontline medical institutions to actively conduct tests, including applying health insurance coverage to rapid antigen tests."

From the 14th, health insurance will cover rapid antigen tests for suspected COVID-19 cases at emergency rooms, intensive care units, and medical institutions in underserved areas.

The test cost is approximately 16,000 KRW. With health insurance covering 50% of this, the out-of-pocket expense is expected to be around 8,000 KRW. Tests can also be conducted as non-reimbursable services at general medical institutions not covered by insurance.

Yoon emphasized, "If the rapid antigen test result is positive, a PCR test must be conducted additionally."

The government is also promoting measures to increase participation in testing at frontline medical institutions by enabling PCR tests using saliva samples, which have a lower risk of droplet spread and are more convenient for testing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.