National Health Insurance has unveiled a plan to expand its benefit package to support healthy pregnancies and childbirth, starting from November 2024. This includes coverage for continuous glucose monitors for diabetic patients during pregnancy, reduce out-of-pocket expenses of child delivery and infertility procedures.
On September 26, 2024, the 19th Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee (hereinafter referred to as the “Health Review Committee”) announced a plan to strengthen National Health Insurance (NHI) program to better support healthy pregnancy and childbirth.
First, coverage for continuous blood glucose monitoring devices will increase from 70% to 100% for pregnant women who require insulin, have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, or have difficulty managing blood sugar levels. Second, out-of-pocket costs will be fully waived for both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. Finally, the upper limit for NHI-covered Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) procedures will be expanded. Infertility treatments, previously limited to 25 attempts per infertile couple, will now allow for 25 attempts per birth. Additionally, the out-of-pocket cost rate for ART for women aged 45 and older will be reduced from 50% to 30%.
In addition to the benefit expansions mentioned above, the Korean government has, since 2024, increased support for pregnancy and childbirth. This includes exempting out-of-pocket hospitalization costs for children under two years old, increasing voucher amounts for multiple pregnancies, and covering medication to treat morning sickness during pregnancy.
