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Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
Koreans may have to pay as much as 25% of income for health benefits by 2072: report
Increasing medical costs due to population aging likely to lead to bigger financial burden South Koreans' financial burden for maintaining the National Health Insurance Service could rise to a quarter of income due to population aging and increasing life expectancy, a study showed Sunday. The study, carried out by Seoul National University's Tech-biz Innovation Platform, estimated the financial impact of population aging on the state-run health insurance. As of last year, South Korea officially became a "superaged" society by the United Nations' definition, as one out of every five Koreans was at least 65. The team derived three possible scenarios, and the most probable of the three showed the mandated insurance rate for those employed full-time for at least one month — currently sitting at 7.09 percent, split between employer and employee — would rise to 10.04 percent by 2035, 15.81 percent by 2050, and to 25.09 percent by 2072. The Ministry of Health and Welfare sets the rate for the state-run health insurance program annually as a proportion of income. The rate was frozen for the third straight year in 2025, but had risen consistently since 5.33 percent in 2010. Researchers noted that this was a conservative estimate, which did not factor in possibilities such as a rise in the cost of medical services or a decrease in general wages due to economic slump. The study was commissioned by the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, which is under the presidential office, but is mainly handled by the Health Ministry. Health fees projected to skyrocket in 'super-aged' Korea The NHIS is part of the country's public health safety net, to which all Koreans and many foreigners are mandated to subscribe. The legal limit for the insurance rate is 8 percent of income, but there is an ongoing discussion about raising the cap. With more senior citizens in the country than ever before, the ratio of the current health expenditure to gross domestic product has been consistently rising. It was 2.6 percent of the GDP throughout the 1970s, according to the Health Ministry, but it has climbed to 7.9 percent in 2020 and to 9.2 percent in 2023. Advances in modern medicine have extended life expectancy, but the ongoing slump in total fertility rate — the number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime — has resulted in an overall aging population. The total fertility rate for 2024 inched up slightly to 0.75 from 0.72 in 2023, but it was still the lowest figure among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The NHIS sets aside a portion of premiums to cover elderly medical fees, which is currently set at 0.91 percent of each subscriber's income. This rate is expected to steeply climb to 1.95 percent by 2035, 5.84 percent by 2050, and 13.97 percent by 2072, which would be over 15 times the figure in 2025. The number of senior citizens needing long-term care is also expected to spike in that time, from 7.14 percent of the population in 2023 to 16.4 percent by 2072. "Without a sustainable national health insurance program and the long-term care insurance program, the social security system will weaken and lead to the deteriorated quality of life for seniors in the superaged society," the researchers noted. Possible responses to this issue include expanding senior care services alongside systemic changes to more effectively manage health-related spending. The study also suggested an adjustment in the legal definition of the "senior citizen," which is set at 65.
Korea Herald
23-07-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
South Korea's health insurance crackdown reduces foreign dependents
A year after South Korea introduced stricter health insurance rules for foreign residents, misuse of the system has noticeably dropped, especially among Chinese nationals. According to the National Health Insurance Service, the number of Chinese dependents enrolled under Korea's national health insurance fell from 111,059 in March 2024 to 106,243 in March 2025. That is a decrease of nearly 5,000 people within one year. The policy change was introduced amid growing concerns that foreign nationals were listing non-resident family members as dependents to access medical care in Korea at little or no cost. Many of them traveled briefly to Korea for treatment, without ever paying into the system. Chinese nationals, who make up a large share of Korea's foreign population, were the most frequent users of this loophole. In some cases, individuals registered not just immediate family but also distant relatives to receive covered procedures. In response, the government amended the law in April 2024. Now, any foreign dependent must reside in Korea for at least six consecutive months before becoming eligible for coverage. The financial impact has been substantial. NHIS data shows that health insurance accounts linked to Chinese nationals moved from a 2.7 billion won ($2 million) deficit in 2023 to a 5.5 billion won surplus in 2024. Other nationalities showed similar trends. Vietnamese dependents fell from 20,499 to 18,881, while Americans decreased from 6,673 to 6,207. Surpluses linked to those groups increased by 37.6 billion won and 5.3 billion won, respectively. Overall, the total surplus generated by foreign dependents rose from 730.8 billion won to 943.9 billion won over the past year. 'There was a clear improvement in the financial balance after the reform,' said an NHIS official. 'The effect was especially noticeable among Chinese nationals, who account for nearly half of all foreign residents in Korea.'
Euractiv
17-07-2025
- Health
- Euractiv
Bulgaria's telemedicine proposal sparks backlash over state monopoly
The Bulgarian government is facing strong criticism from legal experts and medical professionals over a draft regulation that aims to formalise telemedicine but limits its development by mandating the use of a single, state-run communication platform. In late June, the Bulgarian health ministry unveiled a draft ordinance to regulate remote medical services in the country. Instead of garnering support, the proposal drew fierce opposition from doctors, patients, and legal experts, who argue that the regulation introduces technical and organisational requirements that are nearly impossible to fulfil. Under the proposed rules, all remote consultations between patients and doctors, or between medical professionals, would have to be conducted exclusively through the National Health Information System (NHIS), a state-run digital infrastructure. According to Velichka Kostadinova, a lawyer specialised in medical law, this creates a de facto monopoly that could violate EU internal market rules. 'Requiring telemedicine to function solely via the state system contradicts EU legislation because it restricts competition and the free movement of services,' Kostadinova told Euractiv. Low quality and high cost concerns Kostadinova cited EU Court of Justice case law classifying medical services under Article 57 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which guarantees the freedom to provide services across the bloc. 'If the system crashes, there's no alternative. That means a complete shutdown of telemedicine, which could also disrupt cross-border cooperation in the EU, especially in light of the upcoming MyHealth@EU platform,' she warned. Critics argue that such centralisation will stifle innovation and lead to reduced quality of care. 'Instead of making access to healthcare easier, we are effectively blocking it,' said Kostadinova. 'We risk reaching the absurd point where doctors can't communicate with their patients-not by phone, not through secure electronic platforms.' Senior officials from Sofia-based hospitals, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Euractiv that the technical requirements proposed by the state would be prohibitively expensive. Hospitals would be required to set up private, offline computer networks and ensure secure data storage across two physically distant servers. While larger hospitals may be able to shoulder the investment, these conditions are deemed unworkable for doctors in private practice. 'No general practitioner can meet these demands unless they have a bunker filled with advanced tech,' said one Sofia-based GP. 'This goes beyond what is reasonable,' she said. The draft does include some positive provisions, such as mandatory informed consent from patients and a clear list of medical procedures that cannot be performed remotely, like surgery or the declaration of death. Legal challenges and obscurities However, the requirement to use only one communication platform is not stipulated in law, Kostadinova noted. The health minister has the authority to define technical standards for remote care, but not to mandate a single channel for its provision. This opens the door for a potential legal challenge to the ordinance. Despite the growing role of digital technology in healthcare, the proposed regulation seems to add barriers rather than removing them, observers say. Other EU countries, including France, Germany, Sweden, Greece, and Romania, allow the use of multiple certified platforms, provided they meet national legal requirements. Authorisation procedures in these countries vary depending on whether the platform employs doctors or simply connects them with patients, and whether services are reimbursed by national health insurance or paid out-of-pocket. But no other EU country has imposed a single-channel restriction. 'There's still no clarity in Bulgaria on who will pay for telemedicine, how, and when,' Kostadinova said. Tanya Andreeva, a paediatric rheumatologist, told Euractiv that current practice makes even basic online communication between doctors and patients legally dubious. 'I'm not even talking about telemedicine platforms. Patients can't send me a blood test over Viber. If I try to help without charging them, I'm breaking the rules,' Andreeva said. 'If someone checks my phone, filled with images of children's rashes and lab results, I could be accused of being the country's biggest violator.' Health ministry reaction In its defence, the health ministry argues that the regulation aims to establish clear rules and align the quality standards of remote medical care with those of in-person treatment. 'Given the rising role of telemedicine, this is a timely step to harmonise with EU trends and WHO recommendations,' the ministry said in the explanatory note to the draft ordinance. While the EU has not yet adopted binding rules on telemedicine, the European Commission and the World Health Organisation have long recognised its strategic importance. Since the Commission's 2008 Communication on telemedicine and in its more recent 'Digital Compass 2030' strategy, remote healthcare has been framed as a pillar of accessible and sustainable health systems. The health ministry maintains that its proposal follows guidelines by focusing on universal access, safety, and equality of care. However, critics say the country risks falling behind its EU peers in realising the full potential of telemedicine. [Edited by Vasiliki Angouridi, Brian Maguire]
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Consumer forum in Coimbatore directs insurance firm to settle denied medical claim
Coimbatore: The district consumer redressal commission recently directed a public sector undertaking (PSU) insurance firm to reimburse a customer's medical claim of Rs9.43 lakh, which was earlier denied citing that the treatment was not covered. According to an official source, the verdict was delivered on a petition submitted by P Nagarajan, a retired special sub-inspector of police, and his wife Nagaveni, of Singanallur, against the insurance firm that was responsible for disbursing medical benefits under the New Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). In their petition, the couple said they were entitled to cashless treatment up to Rs20 lakh for specified procedures under the scheme. "Nagaveni was hospitalized on several occasions in 2022 for aneurysm-related treatment, incurring an expenditure of Rs16.98 lakh. However, only around Rs3.20 lakh was reimbursed. One of the claims was denied with a remark 'treatment not covered'," the source said. Since a significant portion of the expenses remained unpaid even after submitting all original bills and medical records through proper channels, the couple were forced to arrange funds through personal loans and general provident fund withdrawals to meet the medical expenses, the source said. The couple, in their petition, claimed that the insurance firm hadn't given them an opportunity for clarification before denying or reducing the claim amount. In their plea, they sought reimbursement of the medical expenses with 18% annual interest from February 24, 2022, along with a compensation for the mental agony they suffered. In its ruling, the commission, comprising president R Thangavel and members P Marimuthu and G Suguna, directed the insurance firm to reimburse the eligible medical expenses of Rs9.43 lakh. It was also ordered to pay a compensation of Rs10,000 and another Rs5,000 towards the cost of legal proceedings.
Washington Post
16-06-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Cigarette smokers had higher rates of disability in research
Around 1 in 7 U.S. adults who smoke might have some degree of disability, according to a study published in the journal Tobacco Control. The researchers used data from the 2019-2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for about 150,000 people. During that period, 14.1 percent of adults who currently smoked had a disability, and estimates for any kind of disability were significantly higher for current or former adult smokers.
