Controversy over excessive health care fees for foreign students vs. free medical nations also bear actual expenses

From this month, there is a controversy over whether the average monthly health insurance premium of 40,000 won for foreign students to be paid is excessive.

In Southeast Asian countries, some indicate that they will give up their studies and return to their home country due to the burden of health insurance premiums, while others show that they will attempt illegal employment to cover the insurance premium burden.

International students mainly from Southeast Asian countries rather than the United States or Europe are in a position that Korea’s inflation level is much higher than that of their home country, and insurance premiums are also burdensome, making it difficult to live.

As of the end of January, the number of foreign students residing in Korea, including language trainees, is 151,000, with 58,000 people from Vietnam and 49,000 people from China. Uzbekistan 9,000, Mongolia 8,000, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, etc., each is between 1,000 and 2,800.

Five years ago from Vietnam, Mr. `ㅉ`, a 4th grade student from a university in Seoul, met with a reporter at a cafe near the school on the 9th and talked about health insurance premiums. I’ll do it, but I don’t know what to do.”

He works part-time for 4 hours at a restaurant near Dongdaemun, earning about 40,000 won a day, the minimum wage.

Although half of the tuition is covered by scholarships and remittances from parents, in addition to the recent surge in one-room rent, food, communication, and transportation costs are two to three times higher than their home country, Hanoi, Vietnam.

As an international student, you can work up to 28 hours a week, up to 4 hours a day, so if you get a job other than your current part-time job, you are said to be illegally employed.

However, many of his friends said that he would also be guilty of illegal employment due to the burden of insurance premiums.

Mr. ㅉ said, “When I was sick, I was able to pay for the hospital with the travel insurance that I subscribed to at the school.”

“I didn’t want to sign up for health insurance in the first place, but I couldn’t help it because I didn’t extend my visa to non-subscribers,” he said with an embarrassing expression.

According to the website of the National Health Insurance Service, the monthly insurance premium for international students is 39,000 won, which is 30% of the total premium to be paid in the first place.

On the other hand, there are some advocacy opinions that it is said that this is because they do not receive the benefits of health insurance.

A graduate student who was naturalized to Korea from a Mongolian student said, “It is burdensome at first, but later, when I use a hospital, I realize how much health insurance benefits are.” “I get it,” he refuted.

An official from the Health Insurance Corporation said, “It should be viewed as the purpose of giving foreign students the same insurance benefits as the nationals.” I decided,” he explained.

The official added that considering the situation of international students without income, they plan to raise only to the level of 50% of Korean insurance premiums until the next year, and not to raise it further.

In particular, foreign students use various health insurance products from private insurance companies in the United States and Europe, and Sweden and the United Kingdom, which are representative countries of free medical care, pay actual expenses to foreign students, so the health insurance premiums in Korea are not excessive. It is not a position.

Since 2019, overseas Koreans residing in Korea and foreigners who are working for a short time have already subscribed to health insurance and paid the average premium for local insurance, and from this month, it has also expanded to international students.

Foreign workers who come in and work under the Employment Permit System have been obligated since 2005 and are covered by insurance in the same way as those who are insured at work.

As a result, almost all foreigners residing in Korea, except tourists and temporary residents, have subscribed to health insurance.

[연합뉴스]

Copyrights ⓒ Yonhap News. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited