ID cards to become mandatory at hospitals

Apr 08, 2024, 10:21 am

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The government will strengthen identity verification process at hospitals and clinics starting next month./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Roh Sung-woo

Patients will be required to present their photo identification cards to receive treatment at hospitals and clinics, starting next month.

The government will enhance identification procedures at medical institutes, where patients are required to present their photo ID cards to receive national health insurance benefits, beginning from May 20, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) said Sunday.

So far, patients have been able to get medical services at a discount simply by writing down their ID numbers at reception desks or inputting the numbers at kiosks. However, there have been an increasing number of cases of the country’s public health insurance system being exploited.

According to the NHIS, 32,605 cases of irregularities were reported in 2021, 30,771 in 2022 and 40,418 in 2023.

The move is aimed at eradicating cases of irregularities where patients not qualified for the health insurance to using someone else’ ID number to receive benefits and people stealing others’ ID numbers to receive drugs.

Under the new system, patients who want to get medical treatment at local clinics or larger hospitals should present their photo ID cards, which contain their resident registration numbers or foreign registration numbers, to receive insurance benefits. The ID cards acceptable as valid documents would include resident registration cards, driver’s licenses, passports, disability register cards or certifications of alien registration.

Those hospitals and clinics that fail to carry out the new identification procedures without a justifiable reason will be fined up to 1 million won.

In cases where patients do not have physical ID cards, they will be able to download mobile certifications showing they are entitled to receive health insurance, if they have due qualifications.

Patients aged 19 or younger and emergency patients can exceptionally receive medical treatment.

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