Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Derrek]

I am really sick of this kind of "take advantage of the foreigner" crap...

In Korea, if you get the national healthcare, and get it late, you must back-pay for every day from the date you arrived in Korea (or your E-2/Passport Entry date).

So if you live in Korea for several months, and later get insurance, Korea makes you pay every penny for insurance you would have had the previous months you've been here -- regardless of if you never got sick. No reimbursement for past bills either, if you were sick in that time.

I really hate this rule! Is there any government office, politician, lawyer, or whatever that will make it some sort of issue that can be discussed, or gosh forbid -- changed?

This really sucks when your hagwon won't get off their ass and get the healthcare for you. I insisted I really need them to get this done, and my Hagwon said they won't pay 50% for the past 3 1/2 months I didn't have it (the money I have to back-pay for). Of course, if they had gotten off their butt and gotten it in the beginning like they should have, then there would not have been this problem. They would have paid 50% of it up until now.

I got angry, and damn-near lost it today when my boss told me the school wouldn't pay half of the back-pay. I raised hell about how my contract says I am supposed to have health care, and if this were an American company, they would have done it for me from day 1 (or at least provided me with some direction/material) -- blah, blah, blah.

The could tell I was extremely agitated, and then changed their mind (saying they didn't understand).

Their solution to the rule was to create a new contract (showing my pay as much less) and then ask me to sign it -- because the insurance company asked for that. Then their insurance rates are half as much if they show the gov't that I make less.

HELL NO! Like I'm going to put my name on a contract for less money!

I said there's no way I'm going to sign it. If they want someone else to sign that and turn it in, then that's their choice. But I want nothing to do with it. I just want my healthcare.

Would my coverage be less under such a plan if they do it?

[bellum99]

yes much cheaper....I usually do this thing. I have 2 contracts. The deducations can change a lot depending on the salary. Things like income tax also change.

[Gord]

[Ilsanman]

Paying for insurance that, not only did you not use, but was not able to use, is always a bad idea.

Me too. I spent over 50,000 in hispital bills and drugs for infected mosquito bites I had. I never saw a cent of it.

[Derrek]

Well, my employer got the insurance today. I have to pay about 150,000, but that includes the back-pay and the next 3 or 4 months. Not a bad thing. He got the lower rate, and must have talked them into something.

[prairieboy]

When I first came to Korea, over two years ago, I didn't have health insurance, which was a stipulation in my contract. None of the teachers had health insurance because the teachers before I arrived didn't want it and wanted to save the insurance premiums. It wasn't until 4 months later, when the wife of another teacher got sick that we finally got insurance. This was only because the teacher's wife had to go to Seoul for treatment as no doctor could treat her here and that bill was quite expensive and would have been very much cheaper with insurance.

Long story shorter, we got our health insurance and never had to back pay it. I don't know if the school said we all just started or not. Are you sure you are getting the straight low down from the Korean insurance company?

Either way, good luck with it.

Cheers!

[schwa]

Similar situation. My first employer here said dont worry we've got private insurance. I think it boiled down to favors from students' dads in the profession. Soon as one teacher got seriously ill however, all of us got on the card right quick. But that was a full year later, with zero backpay. Maybe a question of how much influence your hagwon has to swing.