Health care in Japan is, generally speaking, provided free for Japanese citizens, expatriates, and foreigners. It is generally sought out by the indigent and those who need constant medical care, such as the elderly and the terminally ill, as the standard medical insurance plans provided by most Japanese companies only cover primary and secondary care.
There is also a large independent and privately funded health care sector. From July 1, 2005, the government has increased the reimbursement rate to doctors by 10%. There is universal health care in South Korea. Most citizens, regardless of race, are covered under the government-run National Health Insurance. Since it was established in 1962, there has been a gradual increase in insurance coverage, reaching 89% in 2000. However, the government has been reducing reimbursement rates and approving multi-billion budget cuts in healthcare. In 1997, the government increased premiums by 15%. As a result, the average insurance premium for an individual family unit was R5,207 per year in 1997, up from R3,849 in 1996.