Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Seoulman69]

Has anyone here any experience of setting up their own health insurance? How much does it cost? I was in Korea for my first year without health insurance. Will this be a problem? Any help would be great.

[kinerry]

If you want to be a dick, sue your former school.

If you just want to set it up yourself this time, try this:
http://www.nhic.or.kr/portal/site/eng/

[Seoulman69]

I don't want to sue my former employer. They gave me the choice and I chose not to have insurance.
However I have now learnt my lesson and realize i need health insurance.

Thanks for your help.

[bassexpander]

Ok, here's the massive problem:

You will have to back-pay the entire last year of insurance from the date on your first visa here. No kidding. You'll have to front the entire amount before you can even get health insurance. I think we're talking in the neighborhood of 1.3 million won for a year, if memory serves. Perhaps a bit more or less.

[Seoulman69]

Ouch.
I was also waiting for an E7 visa from January to April in 2008. I think i was on a tourist visa. Do i need to pay if i was on a tourist visa?

Also can I claim back any medical costs i had during the times i was not insured?

[bassexpander]

[Seoulman69]

I wasn't working on the tourist visa. I was waiting for the E7 visa that never came.
I'll need to double check whether it was a tourist visa though.

[Forever]

OR - leave the country for 1 month + 1 day.

When you return to Korea after 32 days, you will have to reapply for your visa, but you can join NHIC without paying any back-pay.

[Seoulman69]

Forever - are you 100% sure about that. I didn't have health insurance for the first year i was here in 2006 but have since been out of the country for over a month. If you are correct that would save me alot of money.

[kinerry]

[Forever]

I am sure, because my girlfriend was in the same situation.

She is a foreigner, had worked in Korea for 9 years WITHOUT ANY medical insurance, (she always worked for crappy hagwons and Public-school-afternoon 1~5pm jobs) which never gave medical insurance

and I PHONED the NHIC foreigners phone number and spoke for a lengthy period of time to them about how it was possible for my gf to get the NHIC.

I was told there were only two (2) ways

(1) pay almost 10,000,000won as back-pay for the last nine (9) years

or

(2) She had to leave the country for no less than 1 month + 1 day - so even 33 days is ok.

After arriving back in Korea (of course her visa would be finished) - but she could take another job, a new visa and get the NHIC without any back-pay.

[bassexpander]

Forever, if that's true, that's some awesome info!