In the future, the ‘Health Lifestyle Practice Support Fund’ provided to patients with hypertension and diabetes when they practice healthy lifestyles such as walking and education will be automatically deducted when paying medical bills. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Corporation announced on the 14th that they would improve the pilot project of the Health Lifestyle Practice Support Fund to strengthen the health management of patients with hypertension and diabetes and those with health risk factors.
The ‘Health Lifestyle Practice Support Fund’ is a project that provides financial incentives (points accumulation and use) to patients with hypertension and diabetes participating in the primary care chronic disease management project or those included in the health risk group among general health check-up recipients when they practice healthy lifestyles such as walking and education. With this improvement, a system has been established so that patients can pay medical bills within the range of points they have after receiving treatment at the primary care chronic disease management project participating clinics without issuing a health practice card.
In addition, the preventive type, in which health risk groups participate, will expand the pilot project areas from the existing 15 to 50 from the 15th. The pilot project, which started in July 2021, has continuously received requests for regional expansion, so the preventive type target areas will be expanded to 50 regions nationwide to provide broader participation opportunities. Participants in the expanded areas can check individual notification messages sent by the National Health Insurance Corporation and apply online.
Lim Eun-jung, head of the Health Policy Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, “We are continuously promoting system improvements, such as converting the primary care chronic disease management project into a main project to manage patients with hypertension and diabetes,” adding, “We expect more people to practice healthy lifestyles on their own through this improvement of the Health Lifestyle Practice Support Fund.” Park Hyang-jung, head of the Health Support Project Office at the National Health Insurance Corporation, emphasized, “We will continue to expand the pilot project of the Health Lifestyle Practice Support Fund and improve convenience so that people can prevent and manage chronic diseases through self-directed healthy lifestyle practices.”