Gyeonggi Province has become the first in the nation to implement climate insurance.
On the 15th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it signed a contract on the 11th with the Hanwha General Insurance consortium (NongHyup Property & Casualty Insurance, ACE Insurance) to provide compensation for all Gyeonggi residents for climate-related diseases and injuries until April 10 next year.
Implemented to protect the health and safety of residents from the climate crisis, the "Gyeonggi Climate Insurance" provides fixed compensation for ▲diagnosis fees for heat-related illnesses and cold-related illnesses ▲diagnosis fees for infectious diseases ▲and accident consolation money for injuries lasting more than four weeks related to weather warnings. All Gyeonggi residents were automatically enrolled in the climate insurance on the 11th without any separate procedures, enabling them to receive insurance benefits for climate-related health damages.
In particular, about 160,000 climate-vulnerable groups (those targeted by health management projects at city and county health centers) can receive additional coverage beyond the basic items, including hospitalization fees for heat-related and cold-related illnesses, transportation costs to medical institutions during weather warnings, ambulance transfer costs during climate disasters, and support for mental damage caused by climate disasters.
Gyeonggi residents are covered for accident damages guaranteed by the policy regardless of the accident location within the country (such as Seoul or Jeju), and affected residents can receive retroactive support for up to three years from the date of the accident.
To claim insurance benefits, affected residents must prepare the required documents and apply directly to the insurance companies contracted by Gyeonggi Province (Hanwha General Insurance, call center 02-2175-5030). The insurance company will review the documents and pay the insurance benefits within three days of receipt.
Gyeonggi Province expects that residents will be able to receive support for various climate-related health damages such as tick-borne infectious diseases like tsutsugamushi disease in spring and autumn, heat-related illnesses caused by summer heatwaves, cold-related illnesses caused by winter cold waves, and other accidents caused by heavy rain, heavy snow, and wildfires (when there is a clear causal relationship with the climate).
Cha Seong-su, Director of the Climate Environment and Energy Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, said, "It would be best if residents do not suffer from related diseases and accidents due to unpredictable climate change, but if there is any health damage covered by the 'Gyeonggi Climate Insurance,' I hope they will definitely apply and receive insurance benefits."
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