Seoul City to Provide Up to 500,000 KRW for Prenatal Medical Expenses to Pregnant Women Aged 35 and Over

'O Se-hoon Low Birthrate Measures'... Retroactive Support to Reduce Burden on Pregnant Women
Targeting Pregnant Women Aged 35 and Over Based on Expected Delivery Date in Seoul
City: "In the Ultra-Low Birthrate Era, Support to Ensure No Missed Medical Exams or Tests"

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to provide prenatal medical expense support to pregnant women aged 35 and older (based on the expected delivery date) who undergo frequent prenatal check-ups and tests. This measure aims to alleviate the financial burden on older pregnant women, whose numbers are increasing due to rising marriage and childbirth ages.

On the 10th, Seoul announced the launch of the 'Medical Expense Support Project for Pregnant Women Aged 35 and Older,' which will provide up to 500,000 KRW in prenatal medical expense support to all pregnant women aged 35 and above residing in Seoul.

This project is part of the 'Oh Se-hoon Low Birthrate Countermeasures' announced last April. Initially, the plan was to support up to 1,000,000 KRW for prenatal testing expenses starting from January this year, but during consultations with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the establishment of social security systems, the amount was revised to a maximum of 500,000 KRW, delaying the project's implementation. Subsequently, Seoul sought ways to provide retroactive support for medical expenses incurred from January this year to ease the financial difficulties of citizens awaiting this support.

First, to reduce the prenatal care burden for pregnant women aged 35 and older, Seoul plans to support outpatient consultation and testing expenses up to 500,000 KRW regardless of income, allowing these women to monitor the health status of both mother and fetus during pregnancy based on the expected delivery date.

Applications for prenatal testing expense support will be accepted starting from the 15th, and medical expenses for prenatal care, including testing and outpatient consultation fees incurred from January 1 of this year, can be retroactively supported. Expenses for consultations in departments other than obstetrics and gynecology are also eligible. However, in such cases, an additional medical opinion confirming that the consultation was necessary to maintain the pregnancy must be submitted.

Kim Tae-hee, Director of the Seoul Citizen Health Bureau, stated, "We will support pregnant women aged 35 and older so that they can alleviate anxiety about preterm birth and pregnancy complications and receive prenatal care without missing appointments or tests due to financial reasons." She added, "In this era of ultra-low birthrates, we will do our best to ensure that citizens who wish to conceive and give birth receive as much support as possible."

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