IN FEBRUARY, an unwelcome email from the Office of International Affairs (OIA) appeared in my inbox: “IMPORTANT!!! Information on the payment of health insurance contribution for foreign students.” No longer could I pay for cheap private university insurance, as all foreign students had to start paying for National Health Insurance (NHI). The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) postponed foreign students’ enrollment to 2021 after facing backlash in 2019. The National Health Insurance Services (NHIS) and the government have reduced insurance fees to relieve financial burdens through a student discount. However, foreign students are still facing obstacles after enrolling in the system.

   One of the major problems of NHIS enrollment is the ambiguous and convoluted requirements. The NHIS, in response to questions from the Yonsei Annals, stated that three factors determine when a foreigner is enrolled into the insurance system: they must be in Korea, have their visa, and have their Alien Registration Card (ARC). However, foreign students are unaware of the complexity of these requirements as the NHIS guidelines simply state that students will be enrolled based on their “Alien registration date” if they are “first entry” while “reentries” are enrolled on their “reentry date.” The language can be hard to follow, and quite prone to misunderstanding; students often find that they have been enrolled automatically into the program upon reentry only later, thinking that they are enrolled when they reapply for their ARC. For instance, Aisha Davlenova (Jr., UIC, Political Science & Int. Relations) and Cassandra Allen (Jr., UIC, Political Science & Int. Relations) told the Annals how they received a monthly bill that exceeded the discounted price of ₩39,540, being billed ₩118,620 and ₩79,080 respectively. Both students received no explanation as to why they were seemingly being overcharged, and it was only after the Annals reached out to the NHIS that it was revealed they were both categorized as “reentries.” The NHIS stated that their ARC numbers were already in the system, and were therefore immediately enrolled. However, since they had to reapply for their ARC, the NHIS did not have their current address to mail them their bill. Unbeknownst to them, they were enrolled into the system regardless of when they applied for their ARC. The NHIS clarified to the Annals that foreign students could still reap the insurance benefits before getting the ARC by showing a “Certificate of Alien Registration and passport.” However, if students are not aware that they are enrolled, they will likely not have the forethought to bring this certificate or say that they are covered by the NHI when they go to a hospital. NHIS’s lack of communication regarding this issue is problematic: some foreign students were unknowingly racking up bills for insurance coverage they did not even know they could use.

   The issues of NHIS’s lack of clarity are compounded by their limited avenues of communication. Diya-Rinnee Prakash (Jr., UIC, Economics) called the NHIS phone line numerous times but the line was always busy. Even when students eventually reached the NHIS, they described the phone operator as being “dismissive,” “rude,” and generally unhelpful. While the NHIS was most responsive through email correspondence, Yonsei’s OIA stated that the NHIS “rarely provides email consultations'' and does not provide their email on official platforms. I, too, could only find their email address for non-Korean assistance through word of mouth. The NHIS website is also inaccessible for foreign students as there are no detailed guidelines for students’ enrollment process, and the login process to access your personal information is only in Korean. Foreign students may be prevented from paying their bills due to lack of timely assistance, but they are still personally liable for immigration penalties that restrict their visa extensions—which makes addressing these obstacles of communication urgent.   

   While the NHIS has had ample time to smoothly incorporate foreign students into the insurance system, they have yet to resolve basic issues of clear communication. The NHIS has disregarded suggestions by universities to improve communication and cooperation with professional organizations, leading to the problems foreign students now face. Foreign students are already vulnerable, and expecting them to navigate complicated bureaucracy is unreasonable.