hankyoreh

One in five households who are regional registrants of the National Health Insurance Program have reportedly defaulted on their health insurance premiums for six months or more. Of the 8.111 million households registered, 1.56 million (19.2 percent), fall into this category. Those who are now ineligible to receive health insurance benefits due to payment default now total 2.197 million individuals. They are eligible to receive treatment only when they repay medical fees in full, therefore, they cannot go to the hospital.

It is unfortunate that we who pride ourselves on nationwide health insurance have now arrived at this point. Most of the people affected are the destitute who make less than 5 million Won ($4,403) per year. If they are barely able to support themselves, how will they be able to handle the thousands or millions of Won in hospital fees in order to receive health insurance? In fact, they are virtually defenseless against disease and accidents. The more alarming issue is that with socioeconomic polarization growing worse and government finances growing tighter, the numbers of such people will increase. Groundbreaking measures are urgent.

Health subsidies for the poor are a basic responsibility of the government. Sick people must not be left untreated because they have do not have money. The government, however, is dumping this problem off onto the National Health Insurance Corporation, citing fiscal pressure. Between 2002 and 2009, the government itself failed to pay the 4.2 trillion Won health insurance subsidy as required by law. Moreover, of the individuals to which the government must lawfully pay medical allowances, it has dumped some 230 thousand of the second lowest income class (100 to 120 percent of the minimum cost of living) with rare and incurable diseases and chronic ailments onto the National Health Insurance Corporation. Accordingly, the number of people receiving government medical allowances greatly decreased from 1.85 million in 2007 to 1.67 million in 2009. With this being the case, the National Health Insurance Corporation has no choice but to squeeze those who are barely able to support themselves in order to boost its premium collection rate.

Moreover, the government must boost spending. The poor comprise 18 percent of the population, but only 3 percent of the population receives government medical allowances. The number of people receiving medical allowances should be greatly increased and those with incurable or chronic diseases should receive benefits. Effective policies to lower health insurance premiums for lower income families should also be created. If not, then the number of poor caught in the health insurance blind spot will increase beyond control. There is no more urgent task than to protect the health and lives of the people. One cannot leave millions of people in pain merely because of financial difficulties.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]