Hospital PCR Test Fees Refunded for Those Who Test Positive

Medical workers carry out rapid antigen tests at a COVID-19 testing station in Seoul on Feb. 13, 2022. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — The government will refund COVID-19 test fees for those who test negative with self-test kits but are later confirmed positive after taking a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at a medical institution at their own expense, health authorities said.

Kim Kap-jung, a senior official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said in a briefing on Tuesday that those who are confirmed positive after taking PCR tests at medical institutions at their own expense can receive a refund from the medical institutions concerned.

He added that in such cases, the medical institutions can offset the loss by filing for health insurance benefits.

For individuals that receive a positive test, the cost of PCR tests at medical institutions will be exempted in the same way that self-test kits at COVID-19 testing clinics are being offered for free.

“There could be some cases where people test negative with a self-test kit but have symptoms of the novel coronavirus. In such cases, they can take PCR tests for free at COVID-19 testing clinics if they visit a medical institution and receive a doctor’s note,” Kim noted.

M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)