President Lee Jae-myung stated on the 16th, “Hair loss is now a matter of survival these days,” and instructed a review of applying health insurance coverage to hair loss medications. The directive aims to expand health insurance benefits to non-covered items like hair loss and obesity, which have traditionally been considered cosmetic rather than medical.
During a Ministry of Health and Welfare task report held at the Government Complex Sejong Convention Center, President Lee asked, “Isn’t hair loss part of a disease? I hear young people use a lot of hair loss medication—has there been a review?” In response, Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong explained, “We support treatments for ‘alopecia areata’ caused by medical reasons, but genetic hair loss is not covered by health insurance due to its weak association with medical treatment.”
President Lee countered, “In vulgar terms, it’s the principle of not covering ‘baldness,’” adding, “Whether to classify this as a disease is not a logical issue but a matter of conceptual framing.” He also noted, “Hair loss medication seems widely used—wouldn’t designating it under medical insurance lower drug prices?” When Minister Jeong reiterated that cosmetic reasons are excluded from coverage, President Lee remarked, “Hair loss was once seen as a cosmetic issue, but now it’s perceived as a survival matter.” He suggested, “If costs are too burdensome, consider reviewing limits on frequency or total amounts.”
Expanding health insurance coverage for hair loss, as directed, is expected to exacerbate concerns over the depletion of the health insurance fund. The National Assembly Budget Office projected in April that the fund would turn to deficit by 2026 due to rising benefit costs.
◇Hundreds of Billions in Budget… Lee’s Offhand Directive During Live Broadcast
President Lee also mentioned obesity, asking, “The same applies to obesity—are we reviewing drug treatments?” Currently, surgical treatments like gastric resection for severe obesity are partially covered, but drug therapies are not. President Lee emphasized, “Young people feel wronged for paying premiums without benefits,” and added, “The sense of alienation among youth is growing—we must address intergenerational disparities in insurance benefits.”
During the 2022 presidential campaign, President Lee pledged to expand health insurance coverage for hair loss treatment, sparking attention among the 2030 demographic. At the time, medical circles warned, “With 10 million hair loss sufferers, expanding coverage could explode demand and strain finances.” President Lee acknowledged, “Annual support for hair loss medication would require an additional 100 billion Korean won.” Critics labeled this “mopulism,” blending the Chinese character for hair (毛) and populism, and it was excluded from his campaign pledges. However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has now begun reviewing support following the president’s directive.
President Lee also inquired about infertility treatments, asking, “Are alternative methods besides in vitro fertilization supported?” and questioned, “Can traditional Korean medicine prescriptions for infertility be covered by insurance?”
If health insurance expands to cover hair loss, obesity, and traditional infertility treatments, the financial burden on the health insurance fund will grow. The National Assembly Budget Office recently reported that the fund would turn deficit by 2026, with accumulated reserves depleting by 2030. However, discussions on financial sustainability were absent during the task report.
Instead, President Lee instructed expanding domestic stock holdings in the National Pension Service, stating, “The pension has greatly benefited from stock market gains.” In response to rising KOSPI returns, he emphasized increasing domestic stock allocations. Kim Seong-ju, chairman of the National Pension Service, noted, “While predicting next year’s market is impossible, we plan to revise investment guidelines.”
President Lee continued making impromptu remarks during the task report, which is meant for formal policy briefings. Critics argue that his offhand directives without budgetary consideration are turning the process into populism. Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook wrote on Facebook, “The president should not recklessly damage the national system with ad-libs during official reports.”
Speculation arises that President Lee’s focus on hair loss and obesity medication targets the 2030 demographic, who lean less toward the ruling party ahead of June’s local elections. During the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism report, he urged stricter regulations on probability-based item sales by game companies, stating, “Young people get extremely angry while gaming—why provoke them? Stronger penalties like fines would be better.”
