Health Insurance
National Health Insurance Service
This is a mandatory public health service where you will get the same coverage as Korean nationals registered with this service. The NHIS offers full or reduced-cost coverage for a number of essential medical services offered at public health care facilities in Korea including biennial health checkups, screenings for certain cancers, and dental care. A full list of insurance benefits and co-payment rates can be found on their English website. You may also call them at 1577-1000 (press '7' for English).
For more detailed information and to view your health check results online, visit their Korean website.
To register for the NHIS, you will need your Residence Card or Certificate of Alien Registration.
If for some reason you go the hospital before you have your RC, be aware that you are still technically covered although not officially registered. Keep your receipts from the treatment. Once you are registered, you can then go back to the hospital for reimbursement.
Health Insurance Deductions
Your health insurance premium is a certain percentage of your total monthly salary. Each month, the GMOE will pay 50% of the premium and the GET will pay the other 50%. This will automatically come out of your salary and you can check your pay stub for the amount. Please refer to Article 13 (Clause 2) of the contract for more information.
Health insurance adjustments happen approximately every April and September. There is a retroactive deduction for health insurance that could result in a noticeable change if your income level rises from one year to the next. This means that your health care premium adjusts for the amount that you should have been paying the NHIS according to your actual income for that tax year, and you need to pay back any outstanding amount. If you are leaving the GMOE, adjustments to health care will be made in your final pay.
Dependents
If you have a spouse and/or children who reside with you in Korea, they can be registered under the service at no extra cost. If this is the case, please send the GET Program Manager:
A scan of the front and back of their RC
A certified copy of your marriage certificate (where applicable)
A certified copy of your child's birth certificate (where applicable)
Biennial Health Checks
From time to time, the NHIS will require a general health test for those registered under them. Each year the NHIS will send us a list of GETs who will need to undertake this test. The GET Program Manager will contact you to relay the message on behalf of the NHIS. Please see Health Tests for more information.
Travel Insurance
NHIS does not cover medical expenses incurred outside of Korea. If you travel outside of Korea, it is recommended to get travel insurance. If you visit Hana Bank and exchange KRW to a foreign currency where the value is equivalent to or more than 300 USD, you are eligible for free travel insurance (여행 보험). You will not be automatically given this and will need to ask for it specifically. See more here.
If you would like to pay for travel insurance, two other recommendations of companies that offer travel insurance are World Nomads and Trawick International.