the caregiving support policy will be implemented in the second half of 2025. health insurance care costs will be covered, reducing the patient's burden by 70%, and will be available in medically oriented nursing hospitals.
what is the government's caregiving support policy?
the policy announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare aims to ease the financial burden on patients and their caregivers. Until now, caregiving expenses were not covered by health insurance, so patients had to pay 100% out of pocket.
many families abandoned treatment or suffered financial difficulties due to the burden of care fees, and in fact, there were cases of long-term hospitalized patients going bankrupt because they could not afford care fees of more than 3 million won per month.
to solve this problem, the government is promoting a policy to pay for caregiving expenses. It will be fully implemented in the second half of 2025, and the National Health Insurance will cover a large part of the caregiving expenses.
70% of caregiving expenses, how much will it actually reduce?
the cost of caregiving is usually around 100,000 to 200,000 won per day, depending on the patient's condition and the hospital, but on average, it costs around 100,000 won per day, which is more than 300,000 won per month.
with the new policy to pay for caregiving, the National Health Insurance will cover 70% of the cost and the patient will only pay 30%. Let me give you a concrete example.
if the cost of a day's care is 100,000 won, the patient has to pay the entire 100,000 won, but after the policy is implemented, the National Health Insurance will pay 70,000 won and the patient will only have to pay 30,000 won, which means that 3 million won will be reduced to 900,000 won per month.
the same is true for a day's care cost of 150,000 won. The patient's share is reduced to 45,000 won, and in a month, the patient pays only 135,000 won. this is a significant reduction from the previous 4.5 million won.
who is eligible for caregiving assistance?
unfortunately, not all patients are eligible for care assistance. It is limited to critically ill patients who are hospitalized in a medical center.
you don't qualify simply because you're older or have difficulty with activities of daily living. You must be diagnosed and evaluated by a doctor and classified as a critical patient to qualify for health insurance care assistance.
there is also a condition that you must be admitted to a medical center nursing hospital, not all nursing hospitals, which I will explain in more detail in the next section.
how are medically oriented nursing hospitals selected?
there are about 1,400 nursing hospitals in Korea, of which up to 500 are selected by the government as medical center nursing hospitals.
there are three main criteria for selecting a medical center: first, the treatment environment. The hospital's facilities and medical equipment are evaluated to ensure that they are suitable for caring for critically ill patients. Second, the quality of care services. The quality of caregiver training and management systems are checked.
third, we prioritize hospitals that do not charge excessive non-payment items to patients, which reduces not only the cost of care but also the overall burden of medical expenses.
the government is also taking regional equity into consideration. For rural areas that lack medical infrastructure compared to metropolitan areas, we plan to conditionally select medical-oriented nursing hospitals even if they don't fully meet the criteria. This way, patients living in rural areas will also be able to benefit from support for care costs.
how does the three-shift care system work?
in a medical center nursing hospital, a three-shift care system will be introduced at the hospital level. Previously, patients or their guardians hired caregivers individually, but in the future, the hospital will hire and manage caregivers directly.
for example, in a four-bed ward, there will be one caregiver for every four patients, and these caregivers will work in three shifts to take care of patients around the clock. This will improve the working environment for caregivers and provide patients with more organized care.
each hospital also has a nurse in charge of education to manage and train caregivers, which is a measure to improve and standardize the quality of care.
to address the shortage of caregivers, the government will also actively recruit foreign caregivers who speak Korean, and provide them with sufficient training so that they can provide the same level of service as domestic caregivers.
frequently asked questions
Q1. When will I be eligible for caregiving support?
A. The program will be fully implemented in the second half of 2025. The exact date of implementation has not yet been announced, but the government is taking steps to prepare.
Q2. I'm currently hospitalized in a nursing home, will I be eligible for caregiving assistance?
A. If your hospital is designated as a medical center nursing home and you are a seriously ill patient, you may be eligible. Check with your hospital to see if they have plans to apply for medical center nursing home status.
Q3. Where can I find the list of medical center nursing hospitals?
A. Once the government has finalized the list of medical center nursing hospitals, it will be published on the website of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the website of the Korea Health Insurance Corporation. The list is expected to be announced in the first half of 2025.
Q4. Do I need to apply separately to receive support for care expenses?
A. Critically ill patients who are hospitalized in a medical center nursing hospital will automatically be covered for health insurance care expenses. You do not need to apply separately, but you should consult with your medical team to determine if you are a critically ill patient.
Q5. What happens to my previously hired private caregiver?
A. In a medical-centered nursing hospital, the hospital will switch to a system where the hospital directly hires and manages caregivers. If you hire a private caregiver, you will not be eligible for health insurance care expenses.
conclusion
the policy to pay for caregiving expenses is an important system that will greatly reduce the financial burden on patients and their caregivers. The 70% reduction in monthly caregiving expenses from 3 million won to 900,000 won will be a great help to many families.
we hope that the selection of medical center nursing hospitals and the establishment of the three-shift care system will go smoothly. please share your experiences and questions in the comments.