South Korea Expat Health Insurance
Health Insurance for Expats in South Korea
Moving to Korea can be a very exciting time in your life and for this reason you do not want it marred by something like the question of health insurance. Having the right health insurance in place is essential, we agree, but when it is so easy to sort out, why let it become a worry?
In South Korea, healthcare is very modern and very efficient. You can see practitioners of both Western and Eastern medicines and those who qualify for the National Health Insurance will be able to access both. Extra medical services such as dental care and other specialist fields are all readily available and in most cases they are very affordable.
As an expat you will be wondering if you will have any communication problems when you go to a hospital or clinic and in most cases the answer is no as there are plenty of English-speaking doctors and nurses but not all will, particularly if you are in one of the smaller towns, so be prepared to get help with translation!
Day to day healthcare and emergency procedures can be covered with this type of healthcare provision. However, there are some conditions and medications that are not covered because of the sheer cost. This is when you need to consider private cover!
South Korea Private Health Insurance
Private Korea expat health insurance should be arranged and it is up to you if you want to have the peace of mind of this type of cover for you and your family. A chronic illness plan is a the perfect addition to your standard NHI cover so that you know that should you develop a serious illness, all aspects of your healthcare will be covered.
You need to be aware that the NHI does not cover all the costs of health care but only a percentage, which varies according to the type of consultation and treatment that you have. If you are travelling to Korea with your family as well as yourself you need to consider how you are going to meet these additional costs and private healthcare is the solution that you might need.
You should also have private healthcare in place if you want to use private hospitals and clinics as they are not obliged to accept your NHI coverage. Government-run facilities, on the other hand are obliged to take the card. You may also have to pay out a deposit for your healthcare that is not covered by the NHI card.
When you are using your Korea expat health insurance you should also be aware that hospitals and clinics will very rarely bill your insurance company directly so you have to pay for treatment up front and then claim back the costs. Always make sure that you have funds available to cover these costs just in case.
