Health Care

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) is in charge of regulating health care in South Korea.

The health care system in South Korea is a relatively new one. In the early 1960s, the per capita income was only $100 — too low to expect anyone to pay for their own health insurance. In 1976, the first compulsory insurance plan was introduced, applying only to companies with over 500 employees. By 1988, the per capita income had risen enough to allow health insurance to be compulsory for all citizens. Their health insurance plan is based on the plans in many other, much more mature, industrialized nations. The rapid pace of health care reform reflects the rapid pace of industrialization in the country. South Korea has achieved compulsory health insurance at one of the lowest per capita costs worldwide.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) is in charge of regulating health care in South Korea. Insurance is usually funded by employers and may vary by industry. The majority of insurers are private, as are the majority of the hospitals.

While South Korea claims there is equal health care for all citizens, the highest income groups seem to access health services much more often than the lower income groups. It has been suggested that this is because coinsurance costs are very high, as much as 50% in some hospitals and 20% in some physicians’ offices.