Market scope note: This article covers information from both Korea and the United States. Each piece of information is marked in the text with 🇰🇷 Korea (Korea) or 🇺🇸 U.S. (U.S.) to indicate which country it applies to.
If your parents speak only Korean, or if they have lived in the United States for a long time yet still feel lost when facing medical documents in English — that frustration is more than a simple inconvenience. Language barriers are a real health risk that can prevent people from receiving timely care and cause them to miss benefits they are entitled to. Fortunately, both Korea and the United States address this issue through policy. Below is an overview of each country's language accessibility support system as of 2026.
🇰🇷 Korea The 국민건강보험공단 (National Health Insurance Service) operates a multilingual integrated call center (1577-1000) that supports English, Chinese, Uzbek, Vietnamese, and other languages. Foreigners who have resided in Korea for six months or more are required to enroll in the 국민건강보험 (National Health Insurance), and as of 2026 the health insurance premium rate is 7.19% of monthly wages, split equally between employer and employee. Foreigners residing in Korea are entitled, under Article 20 of the 재한외국인 처우 기본법 (Act on the Treatment of Foreigners in Korea), to receive civil affairs guidance, counseling, interpretation, and translation services in foreign languages through the 외국인종합안내센터 (Foreigner Comprehensive Information Center) (☎1345).
🇰🇷 Korea The 노인장기요양보험 (Long-Term Care Insurance) website underwent a full redesign in January 2026, restructured with a focus on user convenience. Application, inquiry, and consultation functions have been integrated online; however, expanding the foreign-language menu remains a work in progress. When an elderly person from an overseas Korean community or a marriage-immigrant household residing in Korea applies for long-term care, the most practical approach is for a family member or other representative to accompany them to a 공단 지사 (NHIS branch office) / 장기요양센터 (Long-Term Care Center) or to apply on their behalf. The dedicated interpretation and translation staff at 다문화가족지원센터 (Multicultural Family Support Centers) can also be utilized in conjunction with this process.
🇺🇸 U.S. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officially provides multilingual materials, including Korean. The 2026 Korean-language edition of the representative booklet 'Medicare & You' can be downloaded free of charge from medicare.gov or ordered for free by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. CMS's dedicated Korean-language page on cms.gov provides key materials in Korean-language PDF format, including guidance on diabetes supply coverage and Medicare Advantage plan information.
🇺🇸 U.S. Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are required to translate essential materials into any non-English language spoken by 5% or more of the population in their service area. CMS announced enhanced language access regulations in 2024 and is expanding their application beginning in 2026, requiring healthcare providers and insurers to provide timely interpretation and translation services to enrollees who are not proficient in English. In addition, Medicare offers free interpretation services in more than 150 languages, including Korean, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — simply state your preferred language when you call.
🇺🇸 U.S. Each state's SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) provides free telephone and in-person consultations in more than 150 languages for all Medicare and Medicaid inquiries. In areas with large Korean-American populations, callers may be connected with a Korean-speaking counselor. The SHIP number for your state can be found through the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) or at shiptalk.org. Reaching out first through a local Korean community center or Korean Association to find nearby Korean-language support is also a practical first step.
Language support programs are meaningless if they are not actually used. It is important to develop the habit of confirming in advance whether a healthcare provider offers Korean interpretation services before scheduling an appointment for your parents, and to make the request in writing if necessary. Whether in Korea or the United States, we encourage you to make full use of these programs so that no one has to forgo the care they deserve simply because of language.
Sources: 국민건강보험공단 노인장기요양보험 홈페이지 (longtermcare.or.kr), 보건복지부 노인장기요양보험 정책 안내 (mohw.go.kr), 재한외국인 처우 기본법 (법제처 국가법령정보센터), 국민건강보험 외국인 가이드 (seoulstart.com, as of June 2026), U.S. CMS Korean-language materials page (cms.gov), CMS 2026 Medicare Advantage Final Rule (Federal Register, April 2025), CMS Language Access Plan 2024 (hhs.gov), AARP Medicare non-English guidance (aarp.org), LanguageLine — Medicare Advantage language access requirements explained (languageline.com, August 2026).
Note: This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.