An online communication channel that will help people better understand domestic health insurance policy for four major diseases launched on May 9.

In 2013, the government began the process of expanding health insurance coverage until 2016 for cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and rare and intractable diseases, known by Statistics Korea to be the four major causes of death. The new insurance policy has been designed to help lessen the burden of medical expenses. In the future, health insurance coverage will be expanded even further to include other less-serious illnesses.

The online communications platform opened on May 9 provides information and all the details about national insurance coverage and how to progress with a claim.

The online service provides more than just information about coverage for the four major diseases, though. It will also help people stay informed about medical technologies that weren't covered preciously and let people know about adjustments to their coverage concerning a certain proportion of their total expenses. The homepage will also give information about coverage of rare and intractable diseases and expensive anti-cancer drugs that have no specific alternatives. Moreover, the service website is designed to receive people's questions or opinions on each category of illness covered by the national insurance scheme.

The online service can be accessed through the website of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (www.mw.go.kr), the National Health Insurance Service (www.nhis.or.kr) or the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (www.hira.or.kr).