From Medical Care to Everyday Support at Home: Seoul to Cover 80% of Visiting Medical Care Costs for the Elderly

Support Measures for Integrated Care Recipients with Mobility Difficulties
Pay Only the Amount Excluding the Support After Treatment
Lowering Barriers to Visiting Medical Care for Timely Access

Starting in September, elderly individuals with mobility difficulties will be able to receive medical care at home at a low cost without having to travel to the hospital. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to cover 80% of the out-of-pocket expenses for visiting medical care for elderly recipients of Integrated Care services.

On August 30, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will officially implement the “Out-of-Pocket Support Program for Visiting Medical Care for the Elderly” beginning in September.

Home visit medical care for the elderly. Seoul City

Visiting medical care is a home-based medical service that allows individuals who have difficulty visiting medical institutions due to mobility issues to receive necessary services such as medical examinations, consultations, and prescriptions from doctors in their own homes. For elderly individuals with limited mobility, the process of preparing to go out, traveling, accompanying caregivers, and waiting for medical treatment can itself become a significant burden, making it difficult to receive timely care or leading them to postpone necessary treatments.

Although visiting medical care provides an alternative for elderly patients who find it difficult to make hospital visits, the associated out-of-pocket costs remain a problem. According to a report by the National Assembly Research Service, 22.7% of users cited high out-of-pocket expenses as a limiting factor in utilizing the service.

In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has significantly reduced the financial burden of using the service by providing support for 80% of the statutory out-of-pocket expenses for visiting medical care for Integrated Care elderly recipients. This support is available to elderly individuals in need of visiting medical care under the Integrated Care program. Up to 80% of the statutory out-of-pocket expense is covered for a maximum of 20 visits per person per year. However, to ensure fairness among recipients, the maximum annual support per individual is 158,000 won, and the actual amount may vary depending on the claims submitted by medical institutions.

The amount of support differs by eligibility category: for recipients of medical benefits and those just above the qualification threshold, 5,500 won will be covered out of the 6,500 won out-of-pocket cost per visit. For bedridden long-term care patients in Grade 1–2 and those eligible for care benefit payments, 15,700 won will be supported out of a 19,700 won expense. For National Health Insurance recipients, 31,600 won will be covered from a total cost of 39,500 won per visit.

The program also reduces the inconvenience for users of having to apply for support separately. Elderly beneficiaries of Integrated Care services need only pay the amount remaining after the city’s support when receiving a visiting medical service; the medical institution then claims the support amount from the public health center afterwards.

Visiting medical care is provided by linking elderly individuals who require this service during the process of identifying and supporting Integrated Care recipients. When long-term care beneficiaries or those on waiting lists are linked to the Integrated Care program, community centers will assess their health status and need for care, and if visiting care is required, services will be provided through public health centers and the Seoul Primary Medical Visiting Care Support Center.

For discharged patients from medical institutions, services are coordinated by the designated public health department, and the specific procedures for use can be guided by each local district government.

Choyoung Chang, Director-General of the Seoul Health Bureau, stated, “For elderly individuals with mobility restrictions, the simple act of traveling to the hospital poses a significant hardship. It is thus essential to expand a system that brings necessary medical services directly to the living spaces of the elderly. By supporting out-of-pocket expenses for visiting medical care, we aim to reduce both the burdens of transportation and healthcare costs, as well as to closely connect medical, nursing, and care services, enabling the elderly to live healthily in their own communities.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.