Jinju City Expands Medical Expense Support for Low-Income Cancer Patients

Up to 3 Million KRW Support Regardless of Salary or Non-Salary Classification

Jinju City Public Health Center Exterior View

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Jinju City, Gyeongnam Province announced on the 23rd that it will expand medical expense support for low-income cancer patients (near-poverty class, medical aid beneficiaries) starting July 1, following the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s “Notice on Changes to Medical Expense Support Standards for Cancer Patients.”

Currently, medical expense support for adult cancer patients who are medical aid beneficiaries or near-poverty class health insurance subscribers eligible for reduced personal burden will be increased from the existing annual 2.2 million KRW (up to 1.2 million KRW for covered personal expenses and 1 million KRW for non-covered personal expenses) to a maximum of 3 million KRW annually regardless of coverage classification.

Additionally, the city will support sedation costs for gastroscopy screenings for medical aid beneficiaries, as well as sedation costs for colonoscopy and breast ultrasound examination costs for secondary screenings of suspected colon and breast cancer cases.

Meanwhile, new support for adult patients diagnosed with cancer through the national cancer screening (five major cancers) and lung cancer patients among those in the bottom 50% of health insurance premiums was discontinued starting July 1.

However, citizens who underwent national cancer screening by June 30 and meet the support criteria, and who were diagnosed with one of the five major cancers (stomach, colon, liver, breast, uterine) or lung cancer within two years, can still apply for medical expense support as before.

The public health center official stated, “The application of the revised medical expense support standards for cancer patients is expected to reduce the economic burden on low-income cancer patients and contribute to improving treatment rates.”

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