The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) issued a warning on May 19 regarding the risks associated with duplicate enrollment in group and individual health insurance plans, as well as travel health insurance. This advisory comes in response to a surge in consumer complaints about paying double premiums or misunderstanding coverage details.
Consumers enrolled in workplace group health insurance can stop paying premiums for their existing individual health insurance plans. If they are enrolled in both individual and group health insurance, they can apply to their individual insurance provider to halt payments for overlapping coverage, but this is only possible after one year of enrollment in the individual plan.
If a consumer's group health insurance ends due to retirement or other reasons, they must resume their individual health insurance within one month. Applications made within this timeframe will not require additional health assessments, regardless of current health status or claims history. However, if more than a month passes after the group insurance ends, resuming the individual plan may not be possible.
For those who have switched from older health insurance plans to newer ones, there is a limited period during which they can revert to their previous contracts. If no claims have been made within six months of the switch, they can return to the original plan. If a claim has occurred, they can still revert within three months of the switch date. However, this option is available only once per policyholder, and a settlement of premium differences is required upon withdrawal.
When enrolling in overseas travel health insurance, consumers should also exercise caution. If they already have domestic health insurance, they cannot receive duplicate compensation for domestic medical expenses, even if they enroll in travel insurance that covers these costs. Compensation will be proportionate to the actual medical expenses incurred, making it essential to verify the necessity of duplicate coverage.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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