Healthcare Guide 🏥
한국 의료 및 건강보험 가이드
💡 Quick Tip: All foreigners working in Korea must enroll in National Health Insurance (NHI). It covers 50-80% of medical costs!
🏥1. National Health Insurance (NHI / 건강보험)
Who Must Enroll?
- All employees working in Korea (automatically enrolled)
- Self-employed foreigners with business registration
- Long-term residents (over 6 months)
- Family members can be added as dependents
How to Register
- Employees: Your employer registers you automatically (within 14 days of employment)
- Self-employed: Visit the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) office with:
- Alien Registration Card (ARC)
- Business registration (if self-employed)
- Passport
- Receive your Health Insurance Card (건강보험증) in the mail
💰 Premiums & Costs
- Employee premium: About 3.5% of your monthly salary (split 50/50 with employer)
- Example: If you earn 2,500,000 won/month → You pay ~44,000 won (~$33)
- Premiums are automatically deducted from your paycheck
- Coverage: 50-80% of medical costs (varies by treatment type)
✅ What's Covered
- Doctor consultations
- Hospital treatments and surgeries
- Prescription medications
- Medical tests (X-rays, blood tests, etc.)
- Dental care (basic procedures)
- Traditional Korean medicine (한의원)
❌ NOT Covered
- Cosmetic procedures
- Some dental procedures (implants, whitening)
- Private hospital rooms (premium rooms)
- Non-prescription medicines
- Certain medical checkups
🏨2. Types of Medical Facilities
🏥 병원 (Byeongwon) - Hospital
- Large facilities with many departments
- Emergency rooms (응급실)
- Surgery and inpatient care
- Usually more expensive
🏪 의원 (Uiwon) - Clinic
- Small private clinics
- One or few doctors
- For minor illnesses
- Cheaper and faster
🦷 치과 (Chigwa) - Dental Clinic
- For dental care
- Cleanings, fillings, extractions
- Basic care covered by NHI
🌿 한의원 (Hanuiwon) - Korean Medicine
- Traditional Korean medicine
- Acupuncture, herbal medicine
- Also covered by NHI!
📝3. How to Visit a Hospital/Clinic
Step-by-Step Process
- 1Choose a facility
For minor illness → Clinic (의원). For serious → Hospital (병원)
- 2Bring your documents
• Health Insurance Card (건강보험증)
• Alien Registration Card (ARC) or Passport - 3Register at reception (접수대)
Give your cards. Say: "처음이에요" (cheoeum-ieyo) = "First time"
- 4Wait for your number
Watch the screen for your number or name
- 5See the doctor
Explain your symptoms (use translation app if needed)
- 6Pay at the counter
You only pay your portion (30-50% of total cost)
- 7Get prescription (처방전)
Take it to any pharmacy (약국) within 3 days
📱 Useful Korean Phrases
아파요 (apa-yo) = It hurts
열이 나요 (yeori nayo) = I have a fever
기침이 나요 (gichimi nayo) = I have a cough
배가 아파요 (baega apayo) = My stomach hurts
약 주세요 (yak juseyo) = Please give me medicine
영어 가능하세요? (yeongeo ganeunghaseyo?) = Do you speak English?
💊4. Pharmacies (약국 / Yakguk)
How to Use a Pharmacy
- With prescription: Give your prescription (처방전) to the pharmacist
- Without prescription: You can buy basic medicines (cold medicine, pain relievers, etc.)
- Hours: Usually 9 AM - 8 PM. Some 24-hour pharmacies exist in big cities
- Payment: Cash or card accepted
Common Over-the-Counter Medicines
감기약 (gamgiyak) = Cold medicine
두통약 (dutong-yak) = Headache medicine
소화제 (sohwaje) = Digestive medicine
밴드 (baendeu) = Band-aids
소독약 (sodogyak) = Disinfectant
연고 (yeongo) = Ointment
💡 Tip: Pharmacists in Korea are very knowledgeable and can recommend medicines for minor symptoms. Just describe your symptoms!
💰5. Typical Medical Costs (with NHI)
| Service | Your Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clinic consultation | 5,000-15,000 won | $4-12 |
| Hospital consultation | 15,000-30,000 won | $12-24 |
| Prescription medicines | 3,000-20,000 won | Depends on medicine type |
| X-ray | 10,000-30,000 won | $8-24 |
| Blood test | 10,000-50,000 won | Varies by test type |
| Dental cleaning | 15,000-30,000 won | $12-24 |
| Emergency room | 30,000-100,000+ won | Depends on treatment |
* These are approximate costs with National Health Insurance coverage. Actual costs may vary by facility and treatment.
🗣️6. English-Speaking Hospitals
These hospitals have English-speaking staff and international clinics:
Seoul
- Severance Hospital (세브란스병원) - International Healthcare Center
- Samsung Medical Center (삼성서울병원)
- Asan Medical Center (서울아산병원)
- Seoul National University Hospital (서울대병원)
Other Cities
- Busan: Pusan National University Hospital
- Incheon: Gachon University Gil Medical Center
- Daejeon: Chungnam National University Hospital
🌐 Useful Resources
- 1339 Medical Helpline: 24/7 English medical consultation (dial 1339, press 2 for English)
- Seoul Global Center: Medical interpretation services
- Apps: "Naver Map" (네이버지도) - Search "영어 가능 병원" (English-speaking hospital)
✨7. Important Tips & Things to Know
✅ DO
- Always bring your Health Insurance Card
- Visit clinics for minor issues (cheaper!)
- Take prescription to pharmacy within 3 days
- Keep all medical receipts (for tax deduction)
- Get annual health checkup (free with NHI!)
❌ DON'T
- Go to big hospitals for minor illness
- Forget to register for NHI (you'll be fined!)
- Skip getting prescription filled
- Leave without getting receipt
- Ignore symptoms - early treatment is cheaper!
🎯 Key Takeaways
- ✅ Register for National Health Insurance as soon as possible
- ✅ Healthcare in Korea is affordable and high-quality
- ✅ Choose clinics (의원) for minor issues, hospitals (병원) for serious ones
- ✅ Always bring your Health Insurance Card and ARC
- ✅ English-speaking services are available at major hospitals
- ✅ Use translation apps or the 1339 helpline if needed
📚 Additional Resources
National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)
Website: www.nhis.or.kr/english
Hotline: 1577-1000 (press 9 for English)
Emergency Medical Services
Emergency: 119 (ambulance)
Medical Consultation: 1339 (press 2 for English)
Related Guides
Need More Help?
If you have questions about healthcare or need assistance, contact your local immigration office or call the 1339 medical helpline.
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