Lee wants to cover infertility, contraception, HPV vaccines

in addition to hair loss treatments

Over 3 of the 40 ‘small but definite happiness’ proposals include expanding insurance benefits

With the rising heat over the insurance coverage of hair loss treatments that was mentioned by presidential candidate Jae-Myn Lee, other healthcare-related election pledges made by the presidential candidates are also being reilluminated.

 

Lee, who is planning to publically announce his pledge promising the insurance coverage of hair loss treatments, had previously already pledged to expand insurance coverage for infertility couples, contraception and abortion, and HPV vaccines.

 

On the 7th, Lee’s camp announced that its policy team was reviewing the hair loss treatment coverage plan to set a specific pledge.

 

Lee said that hair loss is not a cosmetic issue but a disease, therefore, his camp is seriously reviewing its details such as health insurance coverage targets, proportion, and required finances.

 

In particular, he said that covering hair loss treatments should be positively considered because the coverage could be provided at an annual cost of 100 billion won.

 

In addition, Lee is also known to be considering applying health insurance to wigs and hair transplants.

 

In addition to the pledge for hair loss treatments, Lee had also made a number of pledges to expand health insurance coverage to various other areas.

 

More specifically, Lee had announced the reimbursement of infertility-related treatment cost, contraception and abortion, and HPV vaccination for adolescents as part of his ‘small but definite happiness pledges.’

In covering infertility treatments, Lee said he will simplify the complicated number and support amount set for various parts of the in-vitro fertilization procedure and expand insurance coverage to necessary pharmaceuticals including ovulation inducers.

 

Also, basic tests to identify infertility status will be added to the regular health examination items and promised emotional and psychological support through the provision of counseling vouchers, etc.

 

to infertility couples.

 

The contraception and abortion pledge promises insurance coverage for modern contraceptive procedures and well medical practice for the termination of pregnancies.

 

This pledge may not only benefit contraception and abortion treatment but lead to the reimbursement of the abortion pill ‘Mifegymiso’ that may soon be granted marketing authorization in Korea.

 

Lee also pledged to expand the subject for free HPV vaccinations to all adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, male and female.

 

In addition, he said he will change the name of the vaccination project from ‘First step for women’s health clinic project’ that is currently being used to ‘HPV vaccine national inoculation project.’ HPV, which causes cervical cancer in women and anal cancer in both men and women, is infectious regardless of gender, so Lee believes that the government should bear the cost of its vaccination so that both men and women can get vaccinated in a timely manner.

 

In addition, Lee is known to be reviewing covering dental implants in addition to hair loss treatments as his insurance coverage expansion pledge.

 

Currently, people aged over 65 are applied insurance for dental implants, and the number of teeth covered is limited to 2 for each person.

 

Lee is reviewing extending the coverage to 4 teeth per person.

 

Lee had mentioned his position on MBC’s 100 Minute Debate on the 6th.

 

Lee said, “ Implants are also one of the NHI coverage agendas I am considering.

 

2 are not enough to chew.

 

We need to cover at least 4 teeth implants.” The ruling party's leading candidate’s series of health insurance benefit expansion pledges have led the presidential election stage to focus on each candidate’s healthcare pledges.

 

In response to Lee’s hair loss treatment pledge, Cheol-soo Ahn, presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, pledged to reduce the price of hair loss drug generics and said that Lee’s pledge would worsen the financial status of the current national health insurance.

 

Members of the leading opposition party had also set out to criticize Lee’s pledge as populism that undermines the domestic health insurance application procedures and standards that were just made to attract votes.

 

In response to the populism criticism, the Democratic Party plans to hold a meeting to comprehensively review the coverage of hair loss treatments including the possibility of expanding NHI finances and the establishment of medical standards, then announce it as an election pledge.