Jae Sam Lim1, Hwa Yeon Sun2, Byung Wook Yoo3

1 Department of Medical Science, Graduate School, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Korea 2 Department of Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Science, Graduate School, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Korea 3 Department of Family Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea


Background: This study aimed to examine international students’ perceptions, characteristics, use of public medical services, and satisfaction with the National Health Insurance System, and compared the results with the Health Insurance System Perception Survey conducted on Korean population to understand the differ- ences between the two groups’ perceptions of the health insurance system and their use of medical services.
Methods: A survey was conducted from May 23, 2022 to June 21, 2022 to measure various data of international students related to the National Health Insurance System and analyzed the results.
Results: Most international students were in their 20s (the average age was 23±2.06 years), which showed that they were less likely to use medical services compared to Korean population in their 20s. Both Korean pop- ulation and international students viewed their subjective health as generally good. Regarding the perceptions of the National Health Insurance System, 75.6% of the Korean population responded positively, while only 16% of international students responded positively. The biggest reason for the negative responses was the higher contributions compared to private health insurance, showing that financial hardship played a large role in the negative perceptions. The insurance contribution calculation methods by the Government showed differences. International students receive the same insurance contributions regardless of their nationality, age, income, or assets.
Conclusions: Through this study, it has been confirmed that further research and examination are needed re- garding the application of Korean health insurance to foreign residents and the appropriate calculation of in- surance contributions.
Korean J Health Promot 2023;23(3):156-168

Keywords: National Health Insurance, Public medical services, Medical expenses, Healthcare system