서울서 경기도로 ‘원정 요양’ 밀물…“요양급여 제도 손보자”

A 70-year-old resident from Seoul recently transferred to a nursing home in Gyeonggi's Namyangju city due to declining health and the lack of suitable facilities in Seoul. This trend of residents moving to nursing homes in other provinces, particularly in Gyeonggi's northern regions, has put a significant financial strain on the province and local governments.

In 2025, 36.1% of the country's nursing homes (1,688 out of 4,682) are located in Gyeonggi Province, with Seoul and Incheon accounting for 5% and 9.2% respectively. The imbalance in the distribution of nursing homes is evident when considering that Seoul should have facilities according to its population size, but they are predominantly located in Gyeonggi.

This situation is attributed to Gyeonggi's relatively cheap land prices and lower building costs, making it more feasible for nursing homes to set up there. The government's support for nursing home residents only extends to those whose primary residence is within the local jurisdiction, leading to a sudden loss of government subsidies when residents move to other provinces.

This creates a significant financial burden for the receiving provinces, with Gyeonggi's medical expense burden rising from 6.17 trillion won in 2023 to 7.98 trillion won in 2025. The imbalance in financial responsibility between Seoul and Gyeonggi is stark, with Gyeonggi shouldering a disproportionate share of the costs. This has prompted calls for changes in the law to redistribute the financial burden more equitably between the central government and local governments.