Overview
- President Lee Jae Myung directed the Health Ministry to examine adding hair-loss treatments to national insurance, calling baldness a “matter of survival” for young people.
- Under current rules, coverage largely applies to hair loss tied to immune-related conditions such as alopecia areata, while common hereditary treatments are excluded.
- Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong warned that broad coverage would significantly affect finances and noted many hereditary hair-loss treatments lack clear evidence of effectiveness.
- The Health Ministry says it is conducting a comprehensive review of insurance spending and continuing discussions on hair-loss coverage, with no decision or cost estimate yet.
- Medical groups and opposition figures urge prioritizing cancer and other serious diseases, as NHIS projects deficits from 2026 and possible reserve depletion by 2028 with a 1.5 trillion won shortfall that year.