Multiple Pregnancy Voucher Increased to 1 Million Won per Fetus... Expanded Support for Infertility Treatment Costs

Application Period for Reduced Working Hours During Pregnancy Changed to 'After 8 Months Pregnant'
Parental Leave for Spouses of Parents with Multiple Births Extended to 15 Days

The government will increase the amount of medical expense vouchers provided to pregnant women expecting multiple births. The support will be expanded from a flat 1.4 million KRW for multiple births to 1 million KRW per fetus. The application period for reduced working hours during pregnancy for mothers expecting multiples and the paternity leave period for their spouses will also be extended. Additionally, the income criteria for infertility treatment support, which currently vary by region, will be abolished.

On the 27th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the finalized "Customized Support Measures for Infertility and Multiple Births" at the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy's operating committee meeting. As the average marriage age rises, the proportion of older pregnant women has increased, leading to a rise in multiple births resulting from infertility treatments from 3.9% in 2017 to 5.4% in 2021. In response to these changes, the government has shifted from a singleton-focused policy to support measures for infertile couples and families with multiples.

The government will strengthen support for pregnancy and childbirth medical expenses. It has been providing the National Happiness Card voucher through health insurance, allowing pregnant women and infants under two years old to pay for medical treatment and medication purchases directly at medical institutions. Currently, the pregnancy and childbirth medical expense voucher provides 1 million KRW for a single fetus and a flat 1.4 million KRW for multiple births. Going forward, the voucher amount for multiple pregnancies will be increased to 1 million KRW per fetus. Twins will receive 2 million KRW, triplets 3 million KRW, and quadruplets 4 million KRW. The government explained that this reflects the reality of increased medical expenses for multiple pregnancies.

The application period for reduced working hours during pregnancy will also be expanded. Currently, applications are only possible after 3 months (12 weeks) or after 9 months (26 weeks) of pregnancy. Mothers expecting multiples often deliver prematurely before 9 months, so they have not been able to fully benefit from the system. The government will amend the Labor Standards Act to expand the application period to within 3 months of pregnancy or after 8 months (32 weeks). Additionally, for mothers expecting triplets or more, considering the average delivery time (32.9 weeks), the government is also reviewing a plan to allow applications for reduced working hours from 7 months (28 weeks) of pregnancy.

The paternity leave period for spouses of mothers with multiples will also be extended. Currently, the paternity leave period is 10 days for spouses of mothers who gave birth to multiples and those who gave birth to a single child. Considering that mothers with multiples require a longer recovery period, the government will amend the "Act on Gender Equality in Employment and Work-Family Balance Support" to extend the paternity leave period to 15 days (up to 21 days including weekends) for multiple births. Furthermore, the paternity leave pay supported by employment insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises (priority support companies) has been limited to 5 days, placing a burden on companies and making it difficult for spouses to apply for leave even after childbirth. To address this, the government will amend the "Employment Insurance Act" to extend the support period to 10 days.

Additionally, the number of postpartum care helpers supported for families with triplets will be increased from a maximum of 2 to 3 for triplets and 4 for quadruplets, according to the number of newborns. The support period will also be extended from a maximum of 25 days to 40 days. If a family with triplets requests only 2 helpers, considering the workload and difficulty of the helpers' tasks, the government will increase the allowance by up to 25%. The period during which postpartum care support can be received will be extended from 120 days to 180 days after childbirth, taking into account the average hospitalization period of premature infants.

This plan includes support measures covering all stages from pregnancy preparation, pregnancy and childbirth processes, infant health management, to postnatal childcare support.

Starting next year, the government will conduct a pilot project to support essential fertility testing costs for couples preparing for pregnancy. This will be expanded nationwide in 2025. Women will receive up to 100,000 KRW for tests such as ovarian function and gynecological ultrasounds, and men will receive up to 50,000 KRW for tests such as semen analysis.

Support for infertility treatment costs will also be strengthened. Since infertility treatment support is operated by local governments, only certain income groups in some regions have been eligible, raising fairness issues. The government will work with local governments to abolish income criteria for infertility treatment support so that the same support can be received nationwide. Partial support will also be provided for assisted reproductive technology costs when frozen eggs, preserved for fertility preservation, are actually used for pregnancy. It is expected that 300,000 KRW for thawing frozen eggs, 500,000 to 700,000 KRW for treatment, and 400,000 to 500,000 KRW for post-treatment stages will be supported.

Currently, medical expense support for high-risk pregnant women and medical expenses for premature and congenital anomaly infants apply only to households with income below 180% of the median income, but the income criteria will be abolished starting next year. The eligibility for medical expense support for congenital anomaly infants, currently limited to those diagnosed and operated on within 1 year and 4 months after birth, will be expanded to 2 years. The "Premature Infant Continuous Care Pilot Project," which assigns specialized personnel to premature infants discharged from intensive care units for follow-up management, will be expanded nationwide by 2026.

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