Medical Care Assistance Program for Foreign Worker
Medical Care Assistance Program for Foreign Workers and the Underprivileged
Effective as of January 1, 2012Who is providing this medical assistance?
The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs and Busan Metropolitan City is providing the assistance. (70% from the national budget, and 30% from city funds)
Who are the beneficiaries?
Those who will be eligible to receive financial assistance for medical expenses include foreign workers and their children; female marriage immigrants who have not yet gained Korean citizenship, and their children; refugees who have been recognized as such, or who are currently applying for refugee status; and the homeless who are unable to receive medical benefits under the current medical care system, such as health insurance coverage.
The medical institutions concerned require the following items to determine eligibility:
The medical institutions concerned require the following items to determine eligibility:
- Foreign workers: previous or current employment in Korea, confirmation of length of stay in South Korea - 90 days or more required (as evidenced by passport stamp or alien registration date), document from a physician confirming that the patient’s disease or reason for requiring treatment has occurred or is likely to have occurred in Korea.
- Female marriage immigrants: marriage to a Korean, and with non-Korean nationality (as evidenced by passport or family register)
- Refugees: sojourn qualifications need to be stated through their alien registration
How many times can I receive the assistance?
Assistance is provided an unlimited number of times.
Where can I get medical treatment?
You may get medical treatment from medical institutions authorized by a Provincial Government as part of its Program Implementing Medical Institutions (in Busan, you may get treatment from the Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea, Busan Medical Center and Pusan National University Hospital).
What is the coverage?
Most of the medical expenses, from admission to discharge, and including surgical procedures and medical check ups for pregnant women, up to the value of 5,000,000 won are covered (please note that outpatient care is only provided to children of foreign workers, female marriage immigrants who have not yet gained Korean citizenship and refugees).
How will the medical expenses be paid?
- Medical Institutions: Confirm the entitlement of the beneficiary and provide the treatment → request medical expense examination (by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service) → submit the result and claim the medical expenses back from Busan Metropolitan City
- Busan Metropolitan City: review the submitted documents → pay the expenses owing to the medical institution.
For further information, please consult Busan Metropolitan City’s Health and Sanitation Division, the Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea, Busan Medical Center, or Pusan National University Hospital.
Tel.:
- ☎ 051-888-2814 (Health and Sanitation Division)
- ☎ 051-638-6906 (Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea)
- ☎ 051-607-2058 (Busan Medical Center)
- ☎ 051-240-7494 (Pusan National University Hospital)
