Ministry of Health and Welfare revises Medical Aid Act enforcement rules, waiving requirement to visit primary care clinics first

[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

Soldiers eligible for medical aid benefits will soon be able to receive treatment directly at military hospitals without first visiting a civilian clinic.

According to the National Assembly Legislative Participation Center, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has put a revised enforcement rule of the Medical Aid Act out for public comment through Oct. 27.

Medical aid is a government benefit program that covers medical services — including examinations, diagnostic tests, medications, procedures, surgeries and other treatments — for people in financial hardship facing illness, injury or childbirth. About 6,000 active-duty soldiers are currently enrolled in the program.

The revised rule adds soldiers to the list of groups exempt from standard medical aid procedures, with the aim of ensuring timely treatment and eliminating unnecessary visits to primary care clinics.

Under current rules, medical aid recipients are generally required to visit a primary care clinic — designated as a first-tier medical aid institution — before accessing higher-level care. The revision takes into account the unique nature of military service, allowing soldiers to receive benefits directly at military hospitals, which are classified as second-tier institutions, without first obtaining a referral.

"To visit a second- or third-tier medical aid institution, you need a referral from a first-tier clinic," a Ministry of Health and Welfare official said. "Soldiers enrolled in medical aid who were injured had to leave their base to get a referral before they could receive treatment at a military hospital. This revision addresses that problem and improves access to care."

The ministry plans to apply the revised rule as early as the end of this year.


thlee@heraldcorp.com