Seoul Metropolitan Government paid out 4,375 cases from January to August, up 19.7% from a year earlier; the program has disbursed a cumulative 24.66 billion won since its 2019 launch
Applications for Seoul's hospitalization living-cost support program — designed to help workers who cannot afford to take time off when ill — rose 21 percent in the first eight months of this year compared with the same period last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. Since launching the program in June 2019 as the first of its kind in the country, the city has disbursed a cumulative roughly 24.6 billion won ($18.1 million) in support.
The program compensates for lost income when workers who cannot use paid sick leave — including self-employed individuals, freelancers, daily workers and mobile workers — are hospitalized or undergo a national general health checkup.
Applications from January through August totaled 5,132, up 21.1 percent, or 895 cases, from 4,237 in the same period last year. Actual payouts also rose, reaching 4,375 cases compared with 3,654 a year earlier, a 19.7 percent increase. The total amount paid out was 3.23 billion won, up 27.7 percent, or about 700 million won, from the same period last year.
Uptake has grown consistently since the program began. In its first year of operation in 2019, the city paid out about 1.1 billion won across 2,675 cases. Annual case counts have risen steadily since then: 4,891 in 2023, 5,333 in 2024 and 5,969 in 2025. From the program's launch through the end of August this year, a total of 40,950 cases have received 24.66 billion won in support.
To ensure that residents do not delay treatment because of financial pressure, the city raised the daily benefit amount and eased eligibility criteria this year. Reflecting Seoul's living wage increase, the daily payment was raised from 94,230 won last year to 96,960 won. Recipients can receive support for up to 13 days per year for hospitalization and hospitalization-linked outpatient care, plus one day for a national general health checkup, for a maximum of 14 days and up to 1.36 million won annually.
The city also lowered the eligibility threshold. From March, the asset ceiling was raised from 350 million won to 400 million won, and the qualifying period for recognized employment and business income was extended.
Eligible applicants are Seoul residents enrolled in the national health insurance program as regional subscribers who have earned employment or business income and whose household income falls at or below 100 percent of the median income standard.
User satisfaction has been high. A survey of 636 beneficiaries who received support last year found that 94 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the program. Some 73.6 percent said the program had given them "financial stability."
The city is also stepping up outreach to ensure residents do not miss out on support simply because they are unaware of the program. Working with the National Health Insurance Service, the city has mailed information to about 73,000 residents with a history of hospitalization or health checkups, and is promoting the program through roughly 500 locations including Seoul National University Hospital and other major hospitals and health screening centers, underground shopping arcades and employment agencies.
Applications can be submitted online through the program's dedicated website or in person at the community service center or public health center in the applicant's district of residence. The deadline is 180 days from the date of discharge for hospitalization and hospitalization-linked outpatient care, or from the date of the checkup for national general health screenings.
"The hospitalization living-cost support program is a safety net that helps residents who cannot afford to take time off when sick, so they do not have to give up treatment out of financial worry," said Park Kyung-hwan, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Livelihood and Labor Bureau. "We will continue to strengthen support so that residents can learn about and easily use the program whenever they need it."
ikson@heraldcorp.com
