Health insurance to be applied to all medical sections by 2022…KRW 30.60 trillion to be invested
Kim Ji Seob | cloud50@ | 2017-08-10 11:26:02
President Moon Jae-in`s pledge of `full benefits of health insurance premiums` will be implemented in the 40 years since the start of health insurance. In principle, it was decided not to drag all non-salary except beauty cosmetics to the salary target, and to judge the sustainable object and the exclusion object after evaluating effectiveness.
The government, on August 9, revealed so called `measures to strengthen the health insurance protection` that will invest KRW 30.6 trillion by 2022 to lower the burden of the medical expenses of citizens and prevent the corruption of the household caused by high medical expenses. The measure is not to gradually reduce non-payment items not covered by health insurance, but to completely eliminate the medical expenses.
According to the government, the proportion of medical expenses directly incurred by households in Korea by 2014 is 36.8%, which is 1.9 times the average rate of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of 19.6%.
Meanwhile, the government plans to provide all non-payment items necessary for treatment such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and ultrasound, by the year 2022, except for beauty and plastic surgery. MRI and ultrasonography will be completed by 2020 with a separate roadmap. In some cases, non-salaried people who do not have some cost effectiveness will be managed by the health insurance system as a `preliminary salary` applying 50%, 70% or 90% of their own burdens.
Besides, the government plans to lower the upper limit paid by the individual in the medical expenses so that the household breakdown will not be caused by the high medical expenses, and the health insurance will take responsibility for the above amount. The upper limit of the health insurance cost for the lower 50% of the income is lowered to 10% of the annual income. However, if high medical expenses are incurred, the government plans to institutionalize the disaster medical expenses support project, which is currently being carried out temporarily for the four major diseases, to support all diseases in the lower 50 percent of the income.
The government also plans to increase the number of health insurance bills and expand the base for imposing insurance premiums in order to steadily implement measures to strengthen protection. In addition, the company plans to manage premiums at the normal rate of 3.2%, which is the average increase rate of insurance premiums over the last 10 years, along with measures to reduce financial expenses, such as strengthening follow-up management to reduce inefficient expenditures and preventive health management.
President Moon Jae-in stated, "The new government will raise the protection of health insurance so that it can be cured without regretting the health insurance as one health care and regain health. We will make a country where all citizens will be free from worries about medical expenses, and a country where any disease can be treated with peace of mind."
By Kim Ji Seob cloud50@
[ copyright ⓒ The Digitaltimes ]
The government, on August 9, revealed so called `measures to strengthen the health insurance protection` that will invest KRW 30.6 trillion by 2022 to lower the burden of the medical expenses of citizens and prevent the corruption of the household caused by high medical expenses. The measure is not to gradually reduce non-payment items not covered by health insurance, but to completely eliminate the medical expenses.
According to the government, the proportion of medical expenses directly incurred by households in Korea by 2014 is 36.8%, which is 1.9 times the average rate of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of 19.6%.
Meanwhile, the government plans to provide all non-payment items necessary for treatment such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and ultrasound, by the year 2022, except for beauty and plastic surgery. MRI and ultrasonography will be completed by 2020 with a separate roadmap. In some cases, non-salaried people who do not have some cost effectiveness will be managed by the health insurance system as a `preliminary salary` applying 50%, 70% or 90% of their own burdens.
Besides, the government plans to lower the upper limit paid by the individual in the medical expenses so that the household breakdown will not be caused by the high medical expenses, and the health insurance will take responsibility for the above amount. The upper limit of the health insurance cost for the lower 50% of the income is lowered to 10% of the annual income. However, if high medical expenses are incurred, the government plans to institutionalize the disaster medical expenses support project, which is currently being carried out temporarily for the four major diseases, to support all diseases in the lower 50 percent of the income.
The government also plans to increase the number of health insurance bills and expand the base for imposing insurance premiums in order to steadily implement measures to strengthen protection. In addition, the company plans to manage premiums at the normal rate of 3.2%, which is the average increase rate of insurance premiums over the last 10 years, along with measures to reduce financial expenses, such as strengthening follow-up management to reduce inefficient expenditures and preventive health management.
President Moon Jae-in stated, "The new government will raise the protection of health insurance so that it can be cured without regretting the health insurance as one health care and regain health. We will make a country where all citizens will be free from worries about medical expenses, and a country where any disease can be treated with peace of mind."
By Kim Ji Seob cloud50@