Korean medicine coverage in the National Health Insurance in Korea: present situation and critical issues

摘要

Abstract National Health Insurance (NHI) in Korea has covered Korean medicine (KM) services including acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and herbal preparations since 1987, which represents the first time that an entire traditional medicine system was insured by an {NHI} scheme anywhere in the world. This nationwide insurance coverage led to a rapid increase in the use of KM, and the {KM} community became one of the main interest groups in the Korean healthcare system. However, due to the public's safety concern of and the stagnancy in demand for {KM} services, {KM} has been facing new challenges. This paper presents a brief history and the current structure of {KM} health insurance, and describes the critical issues related to {KM} insurance for in-depth understanding of the present situation.