Medical Expenses Exceeding 'Out-of-Pocket' Costs to Be Refunded... 1.75 Million People to Receive 2.386 Trillion Won Reimbursement

Ministry of Health and Welfare-Korea National Health Insurance Service, Targeting Those Exceeding Income Bracket Caps of 810,000 to 5,840,000 KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Service announced on the 23rd that they will pay amounts exceeding the individual out-of-pocket maximum for medical expenses incurred last year.

To reduce the personal burden caused by excessive medical expenses, the government operates the Medical Expense Out-of-Pocket Maximum System, which refunds subscribers and their dependents when the total annual out-of-pocket expenses (excluding non-covered and selectively covered services) exceed the individual limit.

The out-of-pocket maximum varies according to 10 income brackets, with higher income brackets having higher limits. The confirmed limits for this year range from 810,000 KRW per person (income bracket 1) to 5,840,000 KRW (income bracket 10).

Accordingly, a total of 2.386 trillion KRW will be paid to 1,749,831 people who spent medical expenses exceeding the out-of-pocket maximum. The average amount paid per person is 1.36 million KRW. Among the beneficiaries, 83.9% are in the lower 50% income bracket, and 52.6% are aged 65 or older.

The number of beneficiaries increased by 89,188 (5.4%) compared to the previous year, and the payment amount increased by 138.9 billion KRW (6.2%). Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, mild and outpatient treatments decreased, causing the growth rate of payments to slow compared to the previous year (12.2%).

Kang Jun, Director of Medical Security Management at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "Under difficult economic conditions such as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and high inflation, the medical expense burden on low-income groups is expected to increase further," and added, "We will strengthen the medical safety net functions for vulnerable groups."

The National Health Insurance Service will send notification letters to eligible recipients starting from the 24th. Those who receive the notification can apply through the Service’s website, phone, or mail.

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