Medical insurance barrier might lower

It has been revealed that the government might lower the minimum employee regulation for employer-provided medical insurance from above five to below five.

Once such revision is enacted, it will effectively increase the public fund for the district medical insurance coffer and might work toward meeting the demands of the medical professionals and alleviate the current medical crisis.

"By lowering the number of employees required for the provision of medical insurance at work, we are currently looking into providing worker's insurance coverage for workers in small businesses who had been up to now been covered by district insurance coverage," a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday.

"In the light of the lowering of the minimum employee requirement for pension fund deposits starting next year, following the lowering of the requirement for employer and property-loss insurance, the ministry might lower the requirement for medical insurance at work."

Song Sang-Keun songmoon@donga.com