Medical Institutions Facing COVID-19 Financial Difficulties to Receive One Month of Health Insurance Benefits in Advance

Seoul Red Cross Hospital designated as a COVID-19 dedicated hospital / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol and Jo Hyun-ui] The government announced on the 16th that it will provide one month’s worth of health insurance benefits in advance to frontline medical institutions so they can focus on treating patients with the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters’ quarantine team, said at a briefing that “we plan to implement an additional special case for emergency advance payment of health insurance benefits within this week,” adding, “this special case will accept applications from all medical institutions, and the applying institutions will receive one month’s worth of benefits immediately.”

Previously, the government had made advance payments of benefits when COVID-19 cases surged in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk areas last March. Health insurance benefits are usually paid after the medical institution applies and goes through procedures such as review and evaluation, which takes several months after actual treatment. Since frontline medical institutions have suffered significant damage due to COVID-19 diagnostic tests and patient care, the government aims to alleviate financial difficulties by providing benefits in advance.

The National Health Insurance Service will accept applications from all medical institutions. Institutions with health insurance benefit claims under seizure or transfer are excluded, but infectious disease-dedicated hospitals and COVID-19 severe patient treatment hospitals are included. Applying institutions will receive one month’s worth of benefits immediately and will settle the amount by dividing it from the benefits to be received over three months between April and June next year.

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