Health insurance fee to be reduced for 65% of the self-employed insured

Health insurance fees for 5.61 million households, among the self-employed insured of the national health insurance, will be slashed by an average of 36,000 won per month starting September. On the other hand, 273,000 subscribers, including the elderly, who have been registered as the dependent of the employee insured and thus have not been paying health insurance premiums will have to start paying health insurance fee from September.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Wednesday that it would issue an advance notice of legislation on the amendment proposal of the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the National Health Insurance Act on Thursday. The gist of the amendment of the health insurance scheme is to reduce the amount of health insurance fees the self-employed insured has to pay. There has been criticism that the self-employed insured has to pay a greater amount of health insurance costs than the employee insured do, as their health insurance fees were imposed in proportion not only to their income but also to their houses and vehicles.

Starting September, the government will not collect an insurance fee on the property such as house or land appraised at market value of less than 120 million won (83.33 million won in publicly announced value). The insurance fee on cars will also be imposed only on those valued more than 40 million won. The ministry expects that this renewed scheme would benefit 65% of the self-employed insured.

In the meantime, the number of people who are currently registered as the dependent of the employee insured, even though they could pay health insurance fees, will be reduced. So far, only those whose annual income exceeds 34 million won lost dependent eligibility. However, from September, the dependent eligibility requirement will be an annual income of more than 20 million won. Also, the employee insured with an annual financial income of more than 20 million won, for example, from bank interests or share dividends, will be subject to additional collection of health insurance fees. Around 2 percent of the overall employee will come under the obligation to pay additional health insurance fees.


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