Six Conditions Including Rhinitis and Disc Disease... National Institute for Korean Medicine Development Expands 'Herbal Medicine Health Insurance' from the 29th

Herbal Medicine Now Available at 40,000 to 80,000 Won
Improving Access to Health for All

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Institute for Korean Medicine Development began implementing Phase 2 of the pilot project for herbal medicine health insurance coverage on April 29, 2024.

This second phase expands coverage to include common conditions such as allergic rhinitis and functional dyspepsia, which can occur in people of all ages.

Pilot Project Phase 2 for Herbal Medicine Health Insurance Coverage.

The Phase 2 pilot project for herbal medicine health insurance coverage now includes allergic rhinitis, functional dyspepsia, and lumbar disc herniation-conditions for which herbal medicine has demonstrated therapeutic effects-in addition to the previously covered indications of dysmenorrhea, facial nerve paralysis, and sequelae of cerebrovascular disease, bringing the total number of covered conditions to six.

Furthermore, the scope of coverage, duration, and the number of participating medical institutions have been significantly expanded for this Phase 2 pilot project, which will run until December 2026.

Participating medical institutions now include not only Korean medicine clinics, but also Korean medicine hospitals and general hospitals with Korean medicine departments. Patients can receive herbal medicine prescriptions covered by health insurance for up to 20 days per year for each of two conditions.

Additionally, the patient copayment rate, which was previously set uniformly at 50%, has been revised to 30% for Korean medicine clinics, 40% for Korean medicine hospitals and general hospitals, and 50% for tertiary hospitals. As a result, patients can take herbal medicine for approximately 40,000 to 80,000 won for a 10-day supply, reducing their financial burden. However, if a patient exceeds 20 days per year for any given condition, the full cost must be paid by the patient as it will no longer be covered by health insurance rates.

Prior to the launch of Phase 2, from April 8 to April 12, the Ministry of Health and Welfare accepted applications from over 8,000 medical institutions and selected 5,955 that met certain criteria to participate in the program.

In response to additional requests from the Korean medicine community, more institutions will be recruited during the first half of the year so that more people can benefit from the pilot project.

Patients can receive the benefits of herbal medicine health insurance coverage at participating institutions, which can be verified on the websites of the Ministry of Health and Welfare or the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.

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