Health Ministry mandates ID verification for health insurance access

A registration desk at Chonnam National University Hospital in Gwangju is crowded with people on March 7. [NEWS1]

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that starting next month, patients will be required to present their ID card to receive health insurance coverage.

Starting May 20, patients must verify their identities with their ID card to get their treatments covered by health insurance when visiting medical institutions, such as hospitals and clinics, according to the Health Ministry on Sunday.

Such a measure is a response to the Health Ministry's efforts to reinforce an identity verification system within medical care institutions.

The presented ID card must include an image with the patient’s resident registration number or foreigner registration number, such as a driver’s license or resident registration card.

If a person does not have an ID, they can present a mobile health insurance certificate, which verifies their health insurance eligibility. The certificate can be downloaded online.

When a patient cannot provide evidence of eligibility for health insurance coverage, their medical fees may not be covered.

However, there are exceptions, such as when the patient is under the age of 19, an emergency patient or has records verifying their identity within the past six months at the medical institution.

The measure was established to prevent fraudulent recipient cases where individuals borrowed or stole somebody’s health insurance certificate to receive psychoactive drugs using other people’s names.

Currently, patients can see a doctor by just presenting their resident registration number at most medical institutions. As a result, fraudulent cases of using health insurance occur.

According to the National Health Insurance Service, the number of cases detected of borrowing or stealing somebody’s health insurance certificate stood at 40,418 during last year.

In 2021, the number of cases found was 32,605, with 30,771 in 2022.

In February 2023, the government announced a plan to enhance health insurance sustainability by including a measure to verify one’s identity at hospitals and clinics. In May of the same year, the National Health Insurance Act was revised to implement a reinforced identity verification system to start next month.

BY CHOI SEO-IN [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]