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Health insurance claims go paperless — or try to — with gov't push

Published: 24 Oct. 2025, 15:12 Updated: 24 Oct. 2025, 15:29

Severance Hospital in western Seoul on Sept. 1 [NAM SOO-HYOUN]

No more paperwork will be necessary to submit insurance claims after a clinic visit.

Starting Saturday, patients at local clinics and pharmacies in Korea will be able to submit private health insurance claims through the “Silson24” mobile app, part of a government-led push to fully digitalize the claims process, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said Thursday.

This marks the start of the second phase of Korea’s digitalization of health insurance claims, following the first-phase introduction in October of last year for general hospitals and public health centers.

The Silson24 system allows medical institutions to automatically transmit required documents — such as itemized medical bills, receipts and prescriptions — directly to insurers. Users can simply select the medical institution they visited and submit the claim through the Silson24 app or website, eliminating the need to collect and submit documents manually.

To improve accessibility for older adults or others less familiar with smartphones, the app also supports third-party claims, including claims made on behalf of a child. Participating clinics and pharmacies can be found through map services such as Naver and Kakao.

Beginning as early as November, Silson24 services will also be available through major platforms like Naver and Toss, allowing users to make medical appointments and file claims in a single, streamlined process — without needing to install a separate app.

Despite the convenience it offers, adoption of the system remains limited. As of Tuesday, only 10.4 percent of Korea’s 104,541 registered medical institutions were connected to Silson24, with just 6.9 percent participation from clinics and pharmacies — the main targets of phase two. In contrast, 54.8 percent of general hospitals and public health centers were connected under phase one.

According to an anonymous insurance industry source, participation among small clinics remains low because many rely on external electronic medical record providers, some of which have recently demanded high fees to transmit documents.

To encourage more participation, financial authorities are offering incentives. From January next year, clinics and pharmacies that adopt the system will receive a 0.2 percentage point discount on Korea Credit Guarantee Fund for five years. Starting next month, they will also receive a 3 to 5 percent discount on premiums for general insurance policies, including liability insurance.

“We will continue efforts to improve convenience for consumers,” an FSC spokesperson said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YEOM JI-HYEON [[email protected]]