Dongducheon City Health Center Supports Medical Expenses for Low-Income Cancer Patients and Rare Disease Patients

A panoramic view of Dongducheon City Hall.

The Public Health Center of Dongducheon City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Park Hyung-deok) announced on the 24th that it provides year-round, on-demand financial support for medical expenses to cancer patients and patients with rare diseases to alleviate the economic burden on low-income patients and prevent treatment discontinuation.

Adult cancer patients eligible for medical expense support include medical aid recipients and low-income individuals eligible for reduced out-of-pocket expenses. They can receive support for their out-of-pocket expenses up to an annual limit of 3 million KRW, continuously for up to 3 years, regardless of whether the expenses are covered or not covered by insurance.

Medical expenses for pediatric cancer patients are supported up to an annual limit of 20 million KRW (30 million KRW for leukemia) until the year they turn 18. Eligible recipients include medical aid recipients, low-income individuals eligible for reduced out-of-pocket expenses, and health insurance subscribers under 18 years old who meet the criteria based on annual income and property investigations as of the registration application date.

However, for adult health insurance subscribers who underwent national cancer screening by June 30, 2021, and were diagnosed with one of the five major cancers (stomach, liver, colorectal, cervical, breast) within 2 years, or were diagnosed with lung cancer by June 30, 2021, regardless of national cancer screening, if their health insurance premium payment in January of that year meets the criteria, partial out-of-pocket expenses for covered services are temporarily supported up to an annual limit of 2 million KRW for up to 3 consecutive years.

Additionally, medical expenses for cancer patients diagnosed last year can be retroactively applied for up to this year if they meet the support criteria for that year.

The medical expense support program for patients with rare diseases provides support for out-of-pocket expenses for medical care, nursing care costs, and special dietary purchase costs to those diagnosed with rare and intractable diseases and registered under the special calculation system, provided they meet income and property criteria.

The support covers 1,272 diseases (1,248 rare diseases and 24 severe intractable diseases). Notably, this year, support for purchasing starch was newly introduced for patients under 18 years old with glycogen storage disease who need to consume corn starch.

For more detailed information, inquiries can be made to the Health Promotion Division of the Dongducheon City Public Health Center, where detailed guidance is available.

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