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phillyb
Joined: 09 Jun 2008
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 Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:27 am Post subject: Health Insurance |
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Leaving for Korea in about a week...
I have read that you are not covered by health insurance until you get your alien registration card which may take up to 90 days after arrival. Is this correct? Should I get heath insurance or 3 months or so before I leave? don't wanna be caught in a situation were i have to put my family in eternal debt or something haha. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 2:37 pm Post subject: Re: Health Insurance |
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| phillyb wrote: |
Leaving for Korea in about a week...
I have read that you are not covered by health insurance until you get your alien registration card which may take up to 90 days after arrival. Is this correct? Should I get heath insurance or 3 months or so before I leave? don't wanna be caught in a situation were i have to put my family in eternal debt or something haha. |
You MUST have your ARC within the 1st 90 days after your arrival.
a) You can get your ARC as soon as you arrive and complete the medical.
This CAN (and often does) happen within days of your arrival at a PS.
b) If you are going to a hakwon or an after school program you may NOT get insurance even if you have your ARC (happens about 90% of the time).
If (a) then no worry.
If (b) then emergency travel/medical insurance is cheap (about $1 per day) - get it before you fly. |
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Zaria32
Joined: 04 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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tt, I've heard many horrible hogwon stories, as have we all...usually they involve no pension, pocketed or too high tax withholding, ridiculous security "deposits" (often never to be seen again) denial of the vacation in contract, refusal to pay severance etc. etc.
But only a few times have I heard of a refusal to provide the 50/50 medical insurance, although it does happen, of course. Has my head been in the sand? Have I been selectively reading? 90% of hogwons don't go for insurance? Did I misread what you wrote? |
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Lekker
Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:58 pm Post subject: Re: Health Insurance |
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| phillyb wrote: |
Leaving for Korea in about a week...
I have read that you are not covered by health insurance until you get your alien registration card which may take up to 90 days after arrival. Is this correct? Should I get heath insurance or 3 months or so before I leave? don't wanna be caught in a situation were i have to put my family in eternal debt or something haha. |
You must be from Philly? If so, where are you from in/around Philly? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Zaria32 wrote: |
tt, I've heard many horrible hogwon stories, as have we all...usually they involve no pension, pocketed or too high tax withholding, ridiculous security "deposits" (often never to be seen again) denial of the vacation in contract, refusal to pay severance etc. etc.
But only a few times have I heard of a refusal to provide the 50/50 medical insurance, although it does happen, of course. Has my head been in the sand? Have I been selectively reading? 90% of hogwons don't go for insurance? Did I misread what you wrote? |
If your hakwon is dinging you 3.3% tax you can almost rest assured that you are NOT on the national medical plan. If you were an employee and on the plan you would NOT be paying the sub-contractor rate for tax.
There are a few exceptions but not many.
Ask your friends who work in hakwons how many of them have their NHIC booklet? I'd be surprised if more than 1 in 10 does.
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Zaria32
Joined: 04 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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Last year I was nicked for 3.3% taxes...and I also was on national health insurance...had my little booklet and everything. Also, my boss turned in the 3.3 that she withheld...I checked. The contract said I was an employee. Yes, I know the independant contractor rate was the withholding rate, but she did that because the hogwon association insisted that's what she should do.
This was in Andong, and the local association was very firm about telling their members to withhold at least 3.3%. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:33 am Post subject: |
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| Zaria32 wrote: |
Last year I was nicked for 3.3% taxes...and I also was on national health insurance...had my little booklet and everything. Also, my boss turned in the 3.3 that she withheld...I checked. The contract said I was an employee. Yes, I know the independant contractor rate was the withholding rate, but she did that because the hogwon association insisted that's what she should do.
This was in Andong, and the local association was very firm about telling their members to withhold at least 3.3%. |
and you got your tax refund so I won't be hearing from you in Dec 2008 or Apr. 2009 asking for help because you got ripped off...?
That was a rhetorical question and I really don't need an answer.
You are one of the lucky ones.... one of the 1 in 10 with their booklet.
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phillyb
Joined: 09 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:53 am Post subject: Re: Health Insurance |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
| phillyb wrote: |
Leaving for Korea in about a week...
I have read that you are not covered by health insurance until you get your alien registration card which may take up to 90 days after arrival. Is this correct? Should I get heath insurance or 3 months or so before I leave? don't wanna be caught in a situation were i have to put my family in eternal debt or something haha. |
You MUST have your ARC within the 1st 90 days after your arrival.
a) You can get your ARC as soon as you arrive and complete the medical.
This CAN (and often does) happen within days of your arrival at a PS.
b) If you are going to a hakwon or an after school program you may NOT get insurance even if you have your ARC (happens about 90% of the time).
If (a) then no worry.
If (b) then emergency travel/medical insurance is cheap (about $1 per day) - get it before you fly. |
thanks... its def in my contract that i get the medical insurance so ill make sure to bust their balls about that.
and to the guy that aked if m from philly - nope. my name is jsut phil haha. |
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whoami
Joined: 07 May 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 8:48 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Last year I was nicked for 3.3% taxes...and I also was on national health insurance...had my little booklet and everything..... she did that because the hogwon association insisted that's what she should do.
This was in Andong, and the local association was very firm about telling their members to withhold at least 3.3%. |
Rather odd...I've been working for a hagwon in Andong of late, and my boss, for reasons I can't possibly explain, didn't deduct a single won from my wages all my time here, either for tax, health insurance or pension. I don't know what advice this hagwon association gave them. As for the health insurance, I don't know anyone working in a hagwon who has it at all. It's very likely to be mentioned in your contract somewhere, it was in mine, but we all know what that doesn't entail. |
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Zaria32
Joined: 04 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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No, tt, you won't be hearing from me about not-receiving my tax refund.
That's a done deal....
Perhaps I'm basing my question of your 90% figure, at least in part, on reading so many ads that say they pay health insurance, but are silent on the issue of pension (in other words they'd rather go down in flames than pay pension.)
I have known a couple of people who were denied health insurance, but I know at least gajillions more who were denied pension and had over
withholding of taxes, both with and without pocketing. |
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