Updates
Health-insurance coverage is expanding for rare and severe diseases
On 8 September 2026, Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the first-stage Health Insurance Coverage Innovation Plan approved by the 15th Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee of 2026. The package covers several measures for people with severe, rare or intractable diseases. The Ministry estimates that, taken together, the measures will support about 1.97 million people by roughly KRW 800 billion a year. Those are total policy estimates, not an amount promised to each patient.
Lower copayment under the special registration programme
For around 1.36 million people registered under the programme for rare diseases and severe intractable diseases, the patient's copayment rate is scheduled to fall from 10% to 7% in December 2026. The Ministry says it plans a further reduction to 5% in the first half of 2028. The 2028 figure is therefore a policy plan, not a benefit already in force.
Changes to re-registration
Special registration generally requires re-registration every five years. For specified diseases, the Ministry is relaxing rules that previously required a separate test result in addition to a clinical diagnosis. Depending on the disease, re-registration may instead be based on a clinical diagnosis and, when required, treatment history.
The official schedule states that rules for 9 diseases were improved in January 2026, 95 more are being added from September 2026, and a further 62 are planned for December 2026. Another 146 are planned by the end of 2027. This does not mean that re-registration is simplified for every rare disease; the applicable evidence still depends on the official criteria for the particular disease.
Support for severe diabetes
From December 2026, support for insulin pumps and continuous glucose-monitoring supplies is also due to expand beyond the previous type-1-centred framework. Some people with severe type 2 diabetes may become eligible when they meet the formal criteria for pancreatic impairment or pancreatic-islet insufficiency. The announcement estimates about 11,000 newly eligible people with severe type 2 diabetes.
Under the announced criteria, eligible patients with pancreatic impairment may receive 90% support for an insulin pump and glucose-monitoring electrodes. For pancreatic-islet insufficiency, the announced support is 70% for a pump and 80% for the electrodes. Eligibility depends on clinical and benefit criteria, including pancreatic-function evidence; the change does not cover every person with type 2 diabetes.
What this means for foreign residents
This is not a foreigner-only programme, and residence in Korea does not by itself create entitlement. A foreign resident may be affected if they have Korean National Health Insurance eligibility and meet the relevant diagnosis, special-registration and benefit criteria. Individual eligibility and the documents required can differ, so confirm your own case with the National Health Insurance Service, the treating medical institution or the authority responsible for the programme.
For the distinction between the public system and private cover, see What is the difference between National Health Insurance and private insurance in Korea?.