Financing Having a Baby in Korea

The great thing about Korea, particularly in Seoul, is that the health care facilities available are numerous and outstanding. The downside is that finding full medical coverage for expat maternity care can be tricky. Although most expats in Korea are looked after by National Health Care, the problem is that this barely covers the cost of having a baby in Korea. I can only speculate that this is due to the majority of expats in Korea are here to work and not here to have babies. There is of course private health insurance available that individuals can opt to pay for themselves, however like in my case, unless you've sorted private insurance out in advance, the chances of being able to get it after falling pregnant isn't as easy. The good news is that health care in Korea is affordable even without any medical coverage to speak of.

What does the basic National Health Care cover? Mainly the doctor's consultation fee which is unfortunately the cheapest part of the bill (usually between 15,000-20,000 won).

What isn't covered by basic National Health Care? The tests and ultrasounds, although they are usually much cheaper than most Western countries. It's hard to determine the cost because it can literally range from 60,000-200,000 won depending on where you go and what kind of scan you're having.

What about when it comes time to squeeze that watermelon out? Stay tuned because I haven't hit this point yet (believe me, you'd know and probably hear me for miles). I'm still doing research and arriving at conflicting conclusions so I will write a sequel to this later. From what info I have gathered so far, if you have no coverage, the actual cost of birth is far less than I certainly would have guessed. I've been told that it usually costs between 800,000-1.5 million won. Again, it all depends on where you go. For instance, I will be birthing in a modern birthing centre that focuses on expats which is more pricey (not because we're being ripped off) but because it's rather fancy (there's a snack bar in the birthing area, need I say more!?!)

Now let me tell you about a little hidden secret that I would never have found out about if I didn't have a fab doctor. It's the Little Pink Card! This card is funded by the Korean government and you get it through any KB bank. About 400,000 won will be deposited in your new account that you never have to pay back. You can use up to 60,000 won per doctor's visit to help fund your baby expedition. If you don't use all of it, don't worry, you can use the rest at the delivery. You can also use this money to help with travel costs to and from the obstetrician. This is what you have to do:

1. Ask your doctor for the appropriate form.

2. Have someone at the doctor's office help you to fill in the form (it's all in Korean) and then they have to endorse it with their signature and stamp.

3. Take said form to any KB branch.

4. Go to the "opening a new account" section (not the tellers).

5. Wave form in front of them, along with your passport and alien registration card.

6. It will take about 20-30 minutes for them to process the forms and to open a new account for you. All you have to do is punch in a PIN, sign stuff and look tired and you might get a free drink (I did!)

7. In 3 days you will get a text message saying something in Korean with KB on it (I assumed it meant my card was ready to pick up). Then head to your KB branch and pick up your card (go to the accounts section again and show your alien card).

8. Then you get your new pink card ready to spend someone else's money! Yay!

Not the actual card (I'm not that stupid!)