Understanding hospital bills
The most important thing on a receipt is the split between "covered" and "non-covered".
Terms on the receipt
- Covered (급여) — items health insurance applies to. The Service pays most; you pay a share.
- Patient share (본인부담금) — your part of the covered items.
- Insurer share (공단부담금) — what the National Health Insurance Service pays.
- Non-covered (비급여) — items insurance does not apply to. You pay these in full.
- Optional care and upgraded rooms may also appear as non-covered.
How to check
- Get the itemised bill and receipt. On request you can receive a detailed breakdown.
- Read the covered and non-covered columns separately.
- Ask the desk what the non-covered items are.
- If something looks off, request the detailed statement of charges.
- If still unconvinced, you can ask the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (1644-2000) to review the charges.
What you need
- The hospital receipt
- Your alien registration card
- Proof of insurance eligibility, if enrolled
Where to go
- 1644-2000 Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (charge review request)
- 1577-1000 National Health Insurance Service
- 129 Health and Welfare Call Centre
- The hospital administration or payment desk
Questions people ask
There are too many non-covered items. Non-covered prices differ by hospital. You can compare non-covered charges on the HIRA website. It is best to ask before a procedure.
I have no insurance but need the receipt. The receipt and a medical certificate may be needed for a claim in your home country or for your employer. Keep them. See medical-certificate.
I think I was overcharged. You can file a "charge review request" with HIRA. Depending on the result, you may be refunded.
I lost my receipt. Ask the hospital to reissue it. There may be a fee.
Take care
Always collect the receipt and detailed statement when you are discharged. Reissuing later is troublesome and you may miss an insurance claim deadline.
Related
medical-cost-without-insurance · surgery-cost · hospitalization · medical-fee-support · nhis-premium
Source
National Health Insurance Service www.nhis.or.kr / As of 2026-08