Morning Sickness Medication Covered by Health Insurance... Monthly Cost Drops from 180,000 Won to 35,000 Won

30th, Ministry of Health and Welfare Health Insurance Policy Committee Meeting
Pilot Project for Chronic Disease Management such as Hypertension and Diabetes Expanded Nationwide
Strengthening Essential Medical Coverage

Starting in June, health insurance coverage will be applied to morning sickness medication, reducing the out-of-pocket cost for a one-month supply from 180,000 KRW to 35,000 KRW. Additionally, as the importance of chronic disease management increases, the integrated management service for hypertension and diabetes will be expanded nationwide.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 30th that it held the 11th Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee meeting to discuss these matters.

At the meeting, the committee decided to apply health insurance coverage from next month to the essential medication for morning sickness, which had high demand for coverage to improve public health. This will lower the medication cost per person for one month from 180,000 KRW (non-covered) to 35,000 KRW (with a 30% co-payment).

Furthermore, starting in July, the selective coverage item for intensive care unit cardiac function monitoring, the "arterial pressure-based cardiac function measurement method," will be converted to essential coverage (co-payment rate reduced from 50% to 20% for inpatients).

From August, a pilot project to establish a regional cooperation system for pediatric care will also be implemented. Through close collaboration between pediatric hospitals and clinics, patients will be promptly connected, and a new "pediatric specialized management fee" will be introduced for outpatient pediatric patients requiring intensive observation to support the smooth operation of the pediatric medical delivery system.

As continuous management of chronic diseases and individual health lifestyle management becomes increasingly important, the "Primary Care Chronic Disease Management Pilot Project" will be expanded nationwide from the same month to enable clinics to provide integrated management services for hypertension and diabetes. Patients with hypertension and diabetes will be able to receive personalized management plans, education, and regular patient management services at nearby local clinics.

To prevent gaps in care due to prolonged emergency treatment, the temporary increase in transfer fees for mild patients and strengthened compensation for emergency and severe inpatient care will be extended for one month until July 10.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated, "Amid government efforts to overcome the low birthrate situation, we expect that the new insurance coverage for medications beneficial to pregnant women will strengthen coverage and alleviate economic burdens. Essential health insurance medications for patient treatment will be actively stabilized through appropriate cost compensation to resolve supply instability."