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Is Health Insurance Now Mandatory?

 
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enns



Joined: 02 May 2006

PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:43 am    Post subject: Is Health Insurance Now Mandatory? Reply with quote

I've been told that health insurance is now mandatory for Hagwan teachers. Does anyone have any info on this? I've been set up for health insurance by my school and am wondering if I can opt out of it.
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sadsac



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Gwangwang

PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It has been mandatory all along, but since 2006 they have the choice to either have a private fund or government health insurance. So you gotta pay. Smile
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ttompatz



Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea

PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sadsac wrote:
It has been mandatory all along, but since 2006 they have the choice to either have a private fund or government health insurance. So you gotta pay. Smile


No.

Pension has been mandatory since 1999 and NATIONAL (NHIC) Health insurance became mandatory on Jan 1, 2006 for ALL foreign workers in Korea.

http://www.nhic.or.kr/eng/

02-390-2000 for English service and questions.
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sadsac



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Gwangwang

PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TT, my apologies. Health insurance has always been mandatory, but the choice of either private or government has been available since 2006. Prior to this only government health insurance was accepted. Smile
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ttompatz



Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea

PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sadsac wrote:
TT, my apologies. Health insurance has always been mandatory, but the choice of either private or government has been available since 2006. Prior to this only government health insurance was accepted. Smile


No, as of Jan 2006 ALL foreign workers MUST be enrolled in the national (NHIC) plan (legal requirement).

Prior to that you had the option to "opt out" or not join without consequences or you could enroll in a private plan in place of the national one.

After that date (Jan. 1, 2006) you no longer had the option and MUST enroll in the national plan. You can add optional EXTRA insurance to cover the co-pay portion of your health care if you so desire.

.
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Young FRANKenstein



Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)

PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sadsac wrote:
TT, my apologies. Health insurance has always been mandatory, but the choice of either private or government has been available since 2006. Prior to this only government health insurance was accepted. Smile

ttompatz is correct. You cannot "opt out" of NHIC (as of 01.01.06). You can, of course, pay for private insurance on your own, but you will be paying for that IN ADDITION TO the national coverage for which it is mandatory you join.
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Njord



Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Location: South Korea

PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ttompatz wrote:


After that date (Jan. 1, 2006) you no longer had the option and MUST enroll in the national plan. You can add optional EXTRA insurance to cover the co-pay portion of your health care if you so desire.

.


Is this optional extra insurance within the National Insurance Plan? Or is it just additional private insurance? I'm about to start a new contract and I'm thinking seriously about it, particularly considering what happened to the other teacher. I'd really like to have any catastrophic situations covered. Is there a simple way to add that on to the standard insurance?
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Mosley



Joined: 15 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I'm correct, the poor buggar that got burnt(in more ways than one) didn't have insurance because he was part-time. And not to sound harsh, but he sure has hell should have gotten his own policy.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=115520
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Adventurer



Joined: 28 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:09 pm    Post subject: Re: Is Health Insurance Now Mandatory? Reply with quote

enns wrote:
I've been told that health insurance is now mandatory for Hagwan teachers. Does anyone have any info on this? I've been set up for health insurance by my school and am wondering if I can opt out of it.



It has always been mandatory, but there was often the "Don't ask, Don't tell" thing going on with some foreigners and hagwon owners where foreigners wouldn't pay for health insurance if they didn't want to, because certain hagwons didn't want to either, but, according to the law, you have had to that for some years.
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anyangoldboy



Joined: 28 Sep 2007

PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="Mosley"]If I'm correct, the poor buggar that got burnt(in more ways than one) didn't have insurance because he was part-time. And not to sound harsh, but he sure has hell should have gotten his own policy.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=115520[/quote]

yes he should have gotten insurance but you dont ever think something bad is going to happen
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Young FRANKenstein



Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)

PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 4:20 am    Post subject: Re: Is Health Insurance Now Mandatory? Reply with quote

Adventurer wrote:
It has always been mandatory,

Not NHIC. Prior to 2006, one could opt out of the NHIC plan and pay for private insurance. Opting out of NHIC and then not paying for private plans is where the "dont ask dont tell" came in.
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