Basis for 'Parent Allowance' Payment Established... 23 Welfare Ministry Bills Pass National Assembly Plenary Session

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 25th that 23 related bills, including the 'National Health Insurance Act,' were passed at the plenary session of the National Assembly.

The National Assembly plenary session held on the 25th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

First, with the amendments to the National Health Insurance Act and the National Health Promotion Act, the validity period for government subsidies and support from the National Health Promotion Fund for health insurance finances has been extended by 5 years (until the end of 2027), enabling stable management of health insurance finances.

The Child Allowance Act was also amended to clearly establish the basis for payment by stipulating that the amount of the 'parental allowance' paid to children under 2 years old shall be 500,000 won or more, as determined by a presidential decree.

The Act on the Prevention and Management of Solitary Deaths was amended to expand the definition of solitary death from people living alone to include those living in a state of social isolation. This is evaluated as laying the foundation to comprehensively cover and support solitary deaths occurring in cases other than single-person households, such as the 'Suwon Three Mothers Incident.'

Additionally, the Act on the Use, Provision, and Discovery of Social Security Benefits and Beneficiaries was amended to include electricity, water, and city gas meter readers among those required to report discovered social security benefit recipients to the relevant agencies. The Act on Medical Accident Relief and Medical Dispute Mediation, which guarantees 100% state coverage for unavoidable childbirth-related medical accidents, also passed the plenary session.