Young and losing your hair? The government may have you covered.
Health coverage could include hair loss treatment for Koreans aged 20 to 35, but Health Ministry plans to solicit public input, weigh options before making a decision.
Democratic Party (DP) Rep. Kim Won-i speaks at a meeting with young people experiencing hair loss hosted by the party's youth campaign committee at the DP's Blue Soda venue in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Jan. 5, 2022.NEWS1
Balding could soon cost Koreans less — well, at least for those aged between 20 and 35 — as the government is moving to cover hair-loss treatment under national health insurance.
"There are a range of opinions, including that coverage is needed because hair loss greatly affects young people's health and daily lives, or that coverage should focus on severe illnesses," Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong said on Thursday during a Health Ministry policy briefing.
Jeong said officials will gather public opinions in the second half of the year before deciding to expand coverage. The ministry also plans to jointly hold a public forum on July 4 with the Ministry of Interior and Safety to discuss insurance coverage for hair-loss treatment with 200 members of the public.
President Lee Jae Myung's 2022 presidential election promotional video where Lee had pledged to expand support for hair loss drugsSCREEN CAPTURE
As of now, national health insurance only covers disease-related hair loss, such as alopecia areata or hair loss caused by seborrheic dermatitis. The most common types of hair loss are treated as cosmetic and are not covered by national health insurance.
Officials are considering coverage for younger patients first, those aged 20 to 34, with the claim that young adults are likely to be more sensitive to hair loss since they are entering the job market, which links to depression, social withdrawal and low self esteem.
The National Health Insurance Service has finished a working-level review of how coverage might be structured and what it would cost. A survey it ran of 1,000 people came back largely positive, Jeong said.
Hair loss drugs are seen at a pharmacy in Jongno District, central Seoul, in 2022.YONHAP
President Lee Jae Myung reignited his 2022 presidential election pledge of expanding national insurance coverage for hair loss last December, when he claimed in a policy briefing that thinning hair was more than just a cosmetic concern.
"In the past, this was seen as a cosmetic issue, but these days it seems to be accepted as a matter of survival," Lee said.
The hurdle is the high cost that comes with the inclusion of hair loss in national insurance coverage, along with criticism that the government should be focusing health care spending on supporting rare and life-threatening diseases.
"Thousands of billions of won spent on hair loss drugs are money taken away from those suffering from rare and severe diseases," Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok said on Tuesday.
"I understand the desire to spread the money thinly to win more votes," the Reform Party leader said.
"Health insurance should not be a populist handout from politics but the warmest means of saving lives."
