Health insurance premiums for ultra-high earners to reach up to 6.12 million won... Minimum premiums to rise as well

Courtesy of Yonhap News. [Financial News] The government is pushing for a plan to overhaul health insurance premium assessment standards to increase the premium burden on the ultra-high-income bracket and to adjust the minimum premium standard, which has remained virtually unchanged for over 20 years, to better reflect reality. This measure aims to enhance equity in premium assessment while simultaneously expanding the financial resources of the health insurance system.
According to the healthcare sector on the 26th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare recently reported a reform plan for the health insurance premium assessment system to the subcommittee of the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee. The core of the plan is to strengthen the principle of burdening individuals in accordance with their income levels by adjusting both the upper and lower limits of premiums. The most significant change resulting from this reform concerns the premium ceiling for ultra-high-income subscribers.
Under the current system, no additional premiums are levied on income exceeding a certain level, leading to instances where individuals pay the same amount despite significant differences in income scale. The government plans to raise the premium ceiling based on monthly wages for employed subscribers from 30 times the average premium to 40 times. 12 million won.
12 million won. 02% of total subscribers, respectively. 1 billion won in annual health insurance funds.
The minimum premium standard will also be revised for the first time since the National Health Insurance Act was enacted in 2000. There have been persistent criticisms that the current minimum premium is tied to the minimum wage standard at the time, failing to properly reflect increases in the minimum wage.
The reform plan links the lower limit for employed subscribers to the minimum wage announced annually. Accordingly, the minimum out-of-pocket insurance premium will rise from 10,080 won to 22,260 won per month.
The minimum premium for regional subscribers will also be adjusted accordingly. To consider the burden on low-income groups, the increase will be applied in stages.
Only half of the increase will be reflected from 2027 to 2028, with the full amount applied starting in 2029. 7 billion won is anticipated.
The government plans to strengthen the principle of income-based premium assessment through this reform and invest the secured funds in expanding the infrastructure for regional and essential medical services, as well as enhancing coverage for rare and severe diseases.
[email protected] Jeong Sang-hee Reporter