"Hit Work" vs "Populism"... Lee Jae-myung's 'Health Insurance Coverage Pledge for Hair Loss Medication' Draws Mixed Reactions

Lee Jae-myung "Hair loss should be covered by health insurance... Reviewing financial burden and eligibility criteria"
Some express concerns over health insurance fund deterioration

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is reportedly considering a pledge to include hair loss treatment drugs under health insurance coverage. Photo by Pixabay.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is considering a pledge to apply health insurance coverage to hair loss treatment drugs, sparking ongoing debates. While this has received enthusiastic support among people suffering from hair loss, some argue that this pledge is a 'populist' policy that could deplete the national health insurance finances.

On the 5th, after attending the National Vision and National Integration Committee (Vision Committee) Gwangju Vision Meeting held at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju, Candidate Lee told reporters, "The integrity of the body is an important value. The reality is that hair loss treatment has not been supported even for those who pay full health insurance premiums due to financial burdens."

He added, "Basically, I believe it is right to take responsibility, but the policy headquarters is carefully reviewing how much financial burden the health insurance system can bear and where the boundary can be set," and said, "We will finalize it soon."

Earlier, on the 2nd, after receiving a report on the status of the Democratic Party Youth Election Countermeasures Committee's 'Listener Project,' Candidate Lee suggested reflecting part of the pledge in 'So-hwak-haeng' (small but certain happiness). Among these was the inclusion of applying health insurance coverage to hair loss medication.

As this news spread, online communities such as DC Inside's 'Hair Loss Gallery' (Talmo Gallery) saw declarations of support for Candidate Lee. They posted messages like "I will plant Lee Jae-myung." This replaces the word 'pick' with 'plant' because 'pick' sounds like pulling out hair, so 'plant' is used instead.

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk also said on Facebook, "The pledge to apply health insurance coverage to hair loss treatment drugs seems like it will be a hit," and added, "It would be great if Democratic Party lawmakers with hair loss held a joint press conference."

A video released by Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, through his YouTube channel. Photo by YouTube screen capture.

However, some express concerns that applying health insurance to hair loss drugs could further worsen the health insurance finances. According to the National Health Insurance Service, there were about 233,000 hair loss patients in South Korea as of 2020. By age group, those in their 30s accounted for the largest share at 22.2%, followed by those in their 40s (21.5%) and 20s (20.7%).

Regarding this, Lee Sang-yi, a professor at Jeju National University School of Medicine and former director of the Health Insurance Research Institute at the National Health Insurance Service, said on Facebook that day, "Upon hearing about Candidate Lee's consideration of this pledge, those currently taking hair loss treatment drugs or related pharmaceutical companies at home and abroad might secretly have expectations, but voters should think carefully."

He continued, "If hundreds of millions to billions of won of health insurance funds are spent annually on hair loss treatment, which has low direct relevance to life and health, the National Health Insurance will eventually be financially dead."

He also pointed out that if Candidate Lee's pledge is implemented, demands for insurance coverage of other cosmetic procedures will increase. He said, "If non-covered hair loss treatments become covered by the National Health Insurance, numerous procedures and treatments in the fields of cosmetic surgery and dermatology will also need to be considered for coverage."

Meanwhile, Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, countered Candidate Lee's 'health insurance coverage for hair loss drugs' pledge by proposing to "lower the prices of generic hair loss drugs."

On the same day, Candidate Ahn said on Facebook, "Where will the soon-to-be-depleted health insurance finances come from? Ultimately, it will only mean a significant increase in health insurance premiums."

He added, "I am trying to explore two other feasible measures. First, to lower the prices of generic hair loss drugs. By reducing the prices of generic (same ingredient) hair loss drugs, I will ensure that affordable generics can be prescribed."

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