Gwangju Expands Integrated Care as ‘Universal Right’… Provides Financial Support for Up to 160% of Median Income

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Gwangju City Hall. [Gwangju City], ‘Gwangju City’s representative welfare policy, ‘Gwangju-style Integrated Care,’ will be expanded this year to a universal care system available to virtually all citizens. With the implementation of the ‘Care Integration Support Act’ in March, integrated care will become a national system, significantly expanding the eligibility and scope of financial support.’,
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, ‘Until now, Gwangju City has supported the cost of utilizing integrated care services only for households below 90% of the median income. However, starting this year, the eligibility will be expanded to households below 160% of the median income. Consequently, the support pool is expected to increase from 53.7% to 77.6% of the entire citizenry.’,
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, ‘Median income refers to the middle value when listing household incomes in order, and it is used as a criterion for various welfare policies.’,
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, ‘For instance, a single-person household with a monthly income of 4.1 million KRW or below, or a two-person household with an income of 6.72 million KRW or below, can receive service cost support. However, to prevent service overuse, a partial personal cost will apply. Full support is available for those below 90% of median income, whereas those between 90-120% will cover 30%, and those between 120-160% will cover 60% of the costs. The annual support limit of 1.5 million KRW per person remains unchanged.’,
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, ‘Gwangju City has secured a project budget of 9 billion, including 1.34 billion KRW from national funds, in connection with the comprehensive medical and care integration system to be implemented nationwide starting March 27. Additionally, they plan to work with the Health Insurance Corporation to establish an integrated assessment system, also identifying individuals not previously covered by existing systems, like those who failed the long-term care insurance qualification.’,
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, ‘Integrated care is characterized by connecting 13 services, including daily living, housing, and medical care, with a single application. Services include household and meal support, hospital accompaniment, thorough cleaning, disinfection, AI safety calls, and visits by doctors and nurses. Notably, a ‘polypharmacy management service,’ where pharmacists visit homes to check for duplicate prescriptions and excessive medication, is newly introduced. This aims to reduce side effects that may occur in the elderly taking multiple medications simultaneously.’,
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, ‘Additionally, 49 hospitals have entered into agreements to immediately link with administrative welfare centers to reduce care gaps immediately after discharge following surgery or hospitalization. A follow-up monitoring system, checking usage status after a certain period, will also be introduced.’,
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, ‘Kang Gi-jung, Mayor of Gwangju, stated, “Gwangju has aimed to be a city where anyone can lean on when in need,” adding, “We will ensure that Gwangju-style integrated care becomes a right for all citizens.”’,
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