The government will increase next year's health and welfare budget by 8.2% from this year. It will strengthen livelihood support for low-income households and pay the basic pension more to lower-income groups, while investing 1.26 trillion won in regional essential health care. It will also expand support for childbirth and childrearing and focus finances on the transition to artificial intelligence (AI) in care and health care.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 1st that a 2027 budget proposal reflecting this was approved at a Cabinet meeting. Next year's total expenditure by the ministry will be 148.7697 trillion won, up 8.2% from this year's main budget of 137.4949 trillion won. When adding the child basic allowance and childrearing support grant included in the future response fund to be newly established next year, the total scale rises 10.9% to 152.4328 trillion won.
The ministry plans to focus next year's budget on five areas: strengthening the social safety net; investing in regional and essential health care; community integrated care; support for children and youth; and AI transition and bio innovation in health and welfare.
◇ Standard median income up 6.7%… stronger basic pension support for low-income groups
First, to reduce living costs for low-income households, the standard median income will be raised by 6.7%. It is the largest increase since the tailored benefits system was reorganized. As a result, the maximum monthly livelihood benefit for a four-person household will rise by 139,000 won, from 2,078,000 won to 2,217,000 won.
For recipients of livelihood benefits who have a severe disability, the dependent obligor criteria will be abolished. Accordingly, the number of medical benefit recipients is expected to increase by about 30,000.
The basic pension will be strengthened with a focus on low-income groups. The related budget will increase 11% from 23.1 trillion won this year to 25.7 trillion won next year. For couple households in the bottom 30% and the 30–45% income brackets, the basic pension will be paid on a sliding scale by income level, providing up to an additional 124,000 won and 86,000 won, respectively. Recipients of occupational pensions and their spouses will also be able to receive up to an additional 380,000 won depending on their income bracket.
Support to detect households in crisis early will also be strengthened. When signs of crisis are detected, a new system will allow town and township offices to first pay 300,000 won in living expenses. A "comprehensive isolation response system" will also be established to identify at-risk isolated groups by using crisis information such as financial arrears.
In suicide prevention, the number of counselors will increase from 150 to 200, and staffing at the 255 Suicide Prevention Centers nationwide will be expanded from five to seven per center. A system to monitor suicide-inducing information using AI and a national suicide response office to manage 24-hour data on suicide attempts and deaths will also be newly established.
◇ 1.26 trillion won invested in regional health care… new "regional essential health care special accounts"
Investment to reduce regional gaps in health care will also increase. The government will create "regional essential health care special accounts" worth 1.26 trillion won. The farther from the greater Seoul area, the more support will be provided, with priority investment in public medical institutions.
In particular, a new "region-led medical gap mitigation support project" will be introduced in which local governments directly plan medical services suited to local conditions. The central government will present the budget and project types, and local governments will select and implement the medical services they need.
To secure regional medical personnel, 490 students in the "regional physician selection track," who are obligated to serve in the region for 10 years, will receive tuition, housing, and other support. The number of contract-type regional essential physicians will be expanded from 136 across six cities and provinces to 448 nationwide excluding Seoul. The number of supported hires for senior physicians will also increase from 160 to 220.
National university hospitals will be fostered as "five hubs and three specialized regional health care core hospitals" to strengthen clinical capacity. Public hospitals, including provincial medical centers, will also receive support for clinical facilities and operating costs to enable comprehensive secondary care.
◇ Integrated care expanded to people with disabilities… 30 care centers added in underserved areas
Community integrated care will also be expanded. The integrated support coverage for medical care, nursing, and care services will be broadened from older adults to people with disabilities. In medically underserved and depopulating areas, support amounts will be increased by 1.2 to 1.5 times.
In depopulating areas with insufficient care infrastructure, 30 public "underserved area care centers" will be newly established to provide day and night care, short-term protection, and home-visit in-home services.
Eligibility for the disability pension will also be expanded to all people with severe disabilities. About 267,000 additional people are expected to benefit. Eligibility for disability activity support will increase by 9,000, and service unit prices will rise 4%.
Support for people with developmental disabilities will also be expanded. Eligibility for after-school activity services for adolescents will increase by 1,500, and eligibility for daytime activity services for adults will increase by 5,000. Integrated care services for people with the most severe developmental disabilities will also be expanded, and a separate allowance will be introduced for caregivers of infants and young children with disabilities.
Jobs for older adults will increase by 28,000 to 1.18 million. Treatment of workers at social welfare facilities will also be improved, with a 7% increase in the related budget so that wage guidelines for 12 types of state-funded social welfare facilities are fully observed.
◇ First pension premium support for 18-year-olds under the National Pension… more support for childbirth and childrearing
There will also be changes in support for children and youth.
The number of young people supported who face complex difficulties such as family caregiving or isolation and reclusion will increase by 6,000, and 120 institutions will be newly established to support youth's return to daily life and social participation.
All young people turning 18 will receive about 42,000 won, equivalent to one month of their first National Pension premium. This will allow them to establish their initial National Pension enrollment record.
Support for childbirth and childrearing will be reorganized into a new package integrating the existing first-meeting voucher, parent benefits, and child allowance.
The "childrearing support grant" will provide 10 million won for a first child, 12 million won for a second child, and 15 million won for a third child or more, depending on birth order. In preferential areas such as depopulating regions, an additional 5 million won will be provided.
The "child basic allowance" will provide 200,000 won per month to children aged 0 to 12. Of this, 100,000 won will be paid in cash and 100,000 won in local gift certificates. In preferential areas, it will increase to 300,000 won per month.
The cap on medical expense support for preterm infants and infants with congenital anomalies will be expanded to a maximum of 27 million won, and eligibility for fertility testing support will increase by 40,000 people.
◇ 37.7 billion won invested to commercialize care robots… faster digital transition in health and welfare
AI use in health and welfare will also be expanded. Care robots will be deployed in home and facility care settings, and 37.7 billion won will be invested to support commercialization of home care robots. A new 14.5 billion won will be invested in research and development of care technologies.
In the medical sector, an AI package for primary care in underserved areas and an emergency integrated AI platform linking ambulance crews and hospitals in real time will be established. A total of 38.7 billion won will be invested in AI based on personal health records and in medical image sharing projects, and 34.9 billion won will be invested in building a national health care data hub and sovereign AI.
In biohealth, vouchers worth 5 billion won will be provided to 13 youth startups to foster unicorn corporations. Big data on skin related to K-beauty will be expanded, and an integrated K-health care hub platform that includes telemedicine functions for foreign patients will also be established.