For Improved Medical Care
MOHW to revise National Health Insurance for wider insurance coverage

The government has decided to change its budgetary support to national health insurance to overall financial resources of national health insurance from the current policy of providing support to regional subscribers to the national health insurance focusing on the importance of the government share of resources to guarantee the people's medical needs, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Byun Jae-jin announced April 14.
Under the change, the government share of support will amount to 20 percent of total insurance premium revenue and operation expenses, which will be more than the current level of support to bring stability of national health insurance.
The change will expand the reduction of the insurance premium for destitute families and improve the imbalance among regions in the country, getting away from the support focused on regional subscribers based on regions, the vice health and welfare minister said.
The bottom limit on insurance premiums for regional subscribers will be lowered further, while insurance premiums overdue on the part of the low-income subscribers will have lower premiums under the revision.
The benefits for low-wage salaried people will be introduced to the extent that their premiums will be reduced, along with those of employee subscribers who are on leave from their jobs and the system for those who lost their jobs to continue to maintain their membership in national health insurance.
The revision draft will also include the provision for exempting minors from being held responsible for overdue insurance premiums and reduce the rate of additional payment on overdue insurance premiums. It will also have provisions to protect individual subscriber information for industrial complexes and screening committee members. The revised regulations would total some 44 provisions dedicated to the protection and improved conditions for national health insurance subscribers, Vice Minister Byun said.
With the government increasing the funding support to national health insurance, the subscribers will have guaranteed access to the health insurance as if it is a social safety net because of the government guarantee expanded under the change which will also disallow rapid rise in insurance premium rates.
The government fund can be used to improve and support various areas of national health insurance including premiums, operation expenses and the reduction of insurance premium rate for those who can barely afford to pay for the medical insurance. This hikes the effectiveness of the revision of the national medical insurance.
The revision is also intended to bring about benefits for both regional and employee subscribers and expand support to the low-income people and improve the imbalance between regional and employee subscribers.
The health promotion fund is to be allowed to be used to support funds to pay for various illnesses related to smoking, health check-ups, and the insurance payment to senior citizens more than 65 years old.
Under the revision, employee subscribers national health insurance premium rates will be based on the average monthly income, not the standard monthly income and those for regional subscribers will be based on actual points, no longer based on premium rate tables. Insurance premiums will be based on real income of subscribers, like the tax, but the upper and bottom limits will remain in tact. The bottom limit for regional subscribers will be lowered further to lead those who have not been able to pay premiums on time will be able to have less premiums to pay in an effort to keep to the minimum the number of free-riders.
The system to allow the reduction of premiums for those who got laid off from jobs temporarily with their salaries not paid or reduced will be established to retract the provision that they have to continuously pay the premiums they paid while keeping jobs and getting paid.
Also to be included in the revision is the provision that will allow those who lost their jobs may be able to continue to pay premiums as jobholders for a certain period at a reduced rate ranging from 50 to 20 percent of premiums they paid while in employment. They will have to pay premiums paid by employers, but at a reduced rate.
In order to raise the effective operation of national health insurance, the government will introduce a number of measures. It will introduce a clause to prevent prescribing additional drugs such as digestive ones to cold medicine as originally prescribed at a hospital to increase charges. The national health insurance authorities will be given rights to investigate the case and thus reduce the burden on national health insurance.
There also be a clause allowing the national health insurance authorities the right to reward including cash awards those who inform the authorities of illegal medical or drug bills. nw

MOHW Vice Minister Byun Jae-jin.