"Standing Strong When You’re Sick"...NHIS Chairman Kang Cheong-hee’s “Reboot National Health Insurance”

[Financial News] The National Health Insurance Service has presented a blueprint to redesign National Health Insurance, shifting its focus from the “system” to “people’s lives.”
NHIS Chairman Kang Cheong-hee held a press briefing on the 8th, marking his 50th day in office, and announced three guiding principles for “Reboot National Health Insurance.”
Chairman Kang explained, "The chairman’s role goes beyond managing the NHIS in the present. It requires preparing for the future of National Health Insurance and considering what value we can deliver to the people."
He previously served as the NHIS executive director in charge of benefits for three years starting in 2018. Chairman Kang assessed the situation, saying, "We are now entering a period of new change that cannot be addressed solely through past experience. The environment surrounding National Health Insurance is changing significantly, from low birth rates and an aging population, rising medical expenses, regional disparities in healthcare, and growing demand for care to the rapid development of AI and digital technologies."
The first guiding principle Chairman Kang presented is a shift from a “system-centered” approach to one centered on “people’s lives.” He said the NHIS would not view National Health Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance, and integrated community care as separate systems. Instead, it would connect and redesign them around each person’s life course, developing a “life-course health coverage system” that goes beyond treatment-centered coverage to link prevention, health management, medical care, and caregiving.
The second is a plan to transform the NHIS into an “AI-based health and welfare platform.” Chairman Kang explained, "This is not about creating a single new system. It is about connecting National Health Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance, health screenings, chronic disease management, and community care around the people, thereby creating a system that provides the services they need when they need them." The NHIS plans to combine nationwide National Health Insurance big data, its experience operating these systems, and its nationwide organizational infrastructure with AI and digital technologies to accurately provide services tailored to each individual.
The third guiding principle is to build sustainable National Health Insurance. Chairman Kang said all programs would be reviewed from the ground up, with priorities determined based on their effectiveness relative to financial investment, their potential for efficiency gains through AI and digital transformation, and whether they produce results that people can feel in their daily lives.
Chairman Kang emphasized, "Once we have set the direction, we must now act. ‘Reboot National Health Insurance’ must be more than a slogan—it must be put into action, and the ‘health and welfare platform’ must become a service in people’s daily lives, not merely a plan."
Meanwhile, regarding reform of the income-based contribution system, Chairman Kang said, "The reform proposal has not yet secured public consensus. Since concerns have been raised about the problem of imposing contributions on both assets and income, reform is needed as soon as possible." He also emphasized that the collection system had not advanced significantly during the 25 years since the National Health Insurance system was introduced, adding that the NHIS would improve it by assessing income more precisely.
[email protected] Medical Specialist Reporter Jeong Myeong-jin Reporter