Jennifer Mendoza
Research expert covering health, pharma and medtech
Health insurance in South Korea - statistics & facts
After a series of progressive rollouts, South Korea first achieved universal healthcare in 1989. Between 1989 and 2004, various health insurance companies were merged to form the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), which then became a single-payer system. It is required for Koreans to pay contributions through a payroll tax, with contributions split between employees and employers. However, as coverage of medical bills is limited, it is common to pay for additional private health insurance independent of one’s employment. In 2020, Koreans paid a total of around 63.2 trillion South Korean won in health insurance premiums.
