Korean National Health Insurance

All long-term visa holders are required to opt-in to National Health Insurance or provide proof of insurance coverage equal to or exceeding Korean National Health Insurance. Below is a description of what the National Health Insurance covers, the monthly fees, and how to opt-out of National Health Insurance if you choose.

Korean National Health Insurance

• General Health checkup expenses: Free of Charge
  17 items including blood tests and other items are added according to age. Those who are suspicious of high blood pressure or diabetes will have a second test for that.
• Cancer checkup: 6 Types of Cancer checkups: Stomach Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Liver Cancer and Lung Cancer
  Cost is shared by NHIS (90%) and Beneficiary (10%)
  colorectal cancer, cervical cancer: no co-payment on patients
• Co-Payment: The co-payment is the portion of the health care service cost paid by patients to the medical service provider when they visit a hospital.
  A co-payment rate is determined separately for paying the costs incurred in an inpatient or outpatient service (according to the care institution level and type). The co-payment rate is determined differently according to the types of service and the level of healthcare institutions. This is to curb people’s strong preference for tertiary hospitals to general hospitals and clinics nearby to help use medical resources more efficiently.

More information can be found here:  https://www.nhis.or.kr/english/wbheaa02600m01.do 

Korean National Health Insurance Fees

Student contribution to NHIS is 75,940 KRW per month. This starts from the day your ARC is registered or when you receive a bill from NHIS. 

The easiest way to pay this fee is to bring your bill to an ATM or a bank teller. You can pay the bill with cash directly. Prepayment for the next month is due on the 25th of every month. A late fee will be applied if not paid.

Opting out of NHI

You may opt out of NHI if there is an intergovernmental agreement between your country and Korea (France), if your home country agrees to pay the medical bills (Japan), or if you are covered by a private insurance policy in your home country.

To prove private insurance coverage from your home country, please follow the following steps:

1. You can opt out of the NHI if your home country's insurance covers more than 1 billion won and you bought it before arriving in Korea. Print your proof of coverage.
2. You can only cancel your registration to the NHIS after you get your ARC, so if you are to cancel, you should do so as soon as you get your physical ARC.
3. To cancel it, go to the NHIS office for foreigners in Guro District, western Seoul, and bring your ARC, your passport, and the translation of your insurance policy from home in English and Korean. A simple translation (using Papago) is fine.
4. Fill out the cancellation form. They also have copies of the cancellation form at the NHIS office.