'Korean Health Insurance Fee Exploitation Tips' Shared on Chinese SNS... "One Person Enrolled, Whole Family Benefits"

Chinese SNS Video on 'Getting Back Korean Health Insurance Fees'
Cupping Therapy, Health Checkups, and Dependent Registration Included

As the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) faces a significant deficit from Chinese nationals, 'tips' on how to utilize Korean health insurance are gaining popularity on Chinese social networking services (SNS) and other platforms.

In a video posted on Baidu, China's largest search engine, a Chinese person explains "How to get your money's worth from Korean health insurance."
[Photo by Baidu capture]

Recently, on China's largest portal site Baidu and the Chinese version of Instagram, Xiaohongshu, there has been active sharing of ways to take advantage of Korea's health insurance system, referred to as 'haoyangmao.'

'Haoyangmao' literally means 'plucking sheep's wool,' and in Korean, it is used to mean 'getting one's money's worth.'

They advise to make sure to get ▲ health checkups ▲ scaling and wisdom tooth extraction in Korea to recoup health insurance premiums, and also introduce that receiving acupuncture or cupping therapy at Korean medicine clinics can be covered by health insurance benefits.

Supporting claims such as "Chinese residents in Korea bring family members into the country as dependents to receive health insurance benefits and then leave again," they also explain that "if one person residing in Korea enrolls in health insurance, the entire family can benefit."

Additionally, posts are being uploaded that share real-time updates on how the health insurance system is changing, whether premiums are rising, and help users maximize benefits accordingly.

There are also guides to institutions where free medical treatment is available even without enrolling in health insurance, raising concerns about potential abuse.

The Only Deficit Among Foreigners in Korea: 'Chinese'... "Needs to Be Newly Established"

According to data submitted by the National Health Insurance Service to the office of Seo Jeong-sook, a member of the People Power Party, the cumulative health insurance deficit from Chinese subscribers over four years from 2018 to 2021 was 284.4 billion KRW. Among the top 20 countries by number of health insurance subscribers in Korea, China is the only one with a health insurance deficit.

In 2021, Americans residing in Korea generated a surplus of 68.3 billion KRW, Vietnamese 44.7 billion KRW, and Filipinos 31.6 billion KRW, but only Chinese incurred a deficit of 10.9 billion KRW.

In fact, in 2021, there were 1,232 foreigners who used hospitals more than 150 times domestically, of whom 1,024 were Chinese.

Also, during the 2021 national audit, a case was revealed where a Chinese dependent received about 3.3 billion KRW worth of medical treatment but paid only about 300 million KRW out-of-pocket, sparking controversy. In response, President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged during his candidacy to "resolve the issue of foreigners who only spoon from the well-prepared table by the people" regarding health insurance.

Due to Korea's proximity to China, it is presumed that Chinese nationals easily enter the country as dependents and receive health insurance benefits. The average number of dependents per foreign employee subscriber residing in Korea is 0.37, but for Chinese employee subscribers, it is 0.49.

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is delivering a negotiation group representative speech at the National Assembly on the 20th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

In response, Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, said on the 20th regarding health insurance, "It is unfair and unjust that Chinese people enjoy more benefits."

Kim stated, "Compared to the scope of health insurance dependents that our nationals in China can register, the scope of health insurance dependents that Chinese nationals in Korea can register is much larger," and argued, "We need to newly establish Korea-China relations based on reciprocity."

Under the current system, Chinese nationals residing in Korea for more than six months can receive the same health insurance benefits as Korean nationals. Dependents receive benefits regardless of their length of stay. However, Koreans residing in China are not covered by health insurance.

Accordingly, the Korean government is pursuing measures to strengthen eligibility requirements by applying health insurance to foreign dependents, excluding spouses and minor children, only after six months of residence.

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