“The South Korean health care system is a mix of public and private financing. Funds for health care are raised mainly from equally important sources: mandatory health insurance contributions and OOP [Out Of Pocket] payments by patients. As the government is responsible for health care services, it subsidizes a substantial portion of health care funding.15
“NHI [National Health Insurance], which provides universal coverage, is predominantly funded through contributions by employees, employers and the self-employed (including contributions by the state as an employer of civil servants). About 36% of funding is private, mainly in the form of direct payments and cost sharing by patients, and in the form of premiums to private health insurance schemes (Kim J, 2008).
“In addition, there is MAP [Medical Aid Programme], which guarantees health care services to the poor and is financed by the central and local governments. The Public Health Service provides the whole population with health care services for prevention and health promotion, and the Medical Relief Programme (MRP) provides foreign workers and homeless people with emergency medical services through public and private sources.”
Source: Chun C-B, Kim S-Y, Lee J-Y, Lee S-Y. Republic of Korea: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2009; 11(7):1–184. http://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/partners/observatory/publications/health-system-reviews-hits/full-list-of-country-hits/republic-of-korea-hit-2009
