Support for Catastrophic Medical Expenses Hits Record High
Expansion of Medical Safety Net Leads to Significant Increase in Beneficiaries
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Service announced on the 21st that the catastrophic medical expense support project recorded an all-time high last year with a total of 50,735 cases and 158 billion KRW.
The catastrophic medical expense support project for vulnerable groups suffering from medical expenses burden is a system where the government supports 50-80% of medical expenses that become an excessive burden compared to household income levels. It has been actively promoted since 2018.
If the household income is below 100% of the median income, the property tax base is below 700 million KRW, and the out-of-pocket medical expenses exceed 10% of the household's annual income, the patient or their representative can apply to the National Health Insurance Service to receive support. For basic livelihood security recipients and lower-income groups, support is available if medical expenses exceed 800,000 KRW; for those below 50% of the median income, if medical expenses exceed 1.6 million KRW; and for households with 100-200% of the median income, if medical expenses exceed 20% of annual income, support can be granted after review. The number of treatment days per disease can be combined up to 180 days annually, and support can be provided up to a maximum of 50 million KRW per year.
In particular, at the beginning of the project, inpatient support was provided for all diseases, and outpatient support focused on severe diseases with high burdens. However, since 2023, the system has been improved by expanding the target diseases, property criteria, medical expense support criteria, and calculation standards.
Accordingly, the number of catastrophic medical expense support cases executed in 2024 reached 50,735, a 51.1% increase compared to the previous year, and the amount paid was 158.2 billion KRW, a 56.6% increase from the previous year.
The average support amount per catastrophic medical expense case also increased by 3.7%, from 3.01 million KRW in 2023 to 3.12 million KRW in 2024. Specifically, the average support amount per case for recipients below 50% of the median income increased by 4.4%, from 2.51 million KRW in 2023 to 2.62 million KRW in 2024. By disease, the average support amount per case for severe diseases such as cancer, cerebrovascular disease, heart disease, and rare diseases increased by 2.8%, from 3.89 million KRW to 4.00 million KRW.
The government has allocated a budget of 142.4 billion KRW for the catastrophic medical expense support project this year and plans to continue its role as a medical safety net for the public. Kwon Byung-gi, Director of Essential Medical Support at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "The purpose of the catastrophic medical expense support project is to provide stronger protection for citizens facing economic difficulties due to excessive medical expenses," and promised, "We will continue to improve the system to prevent any blind spots in support."
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