A 42% spike or KRW37.5bn ($27.9m) in unpaid health insurance premiums by foreigners and overseas Korean has triggered calls for tighter residency checks and enforcement, reported Korea JoongAng Daily.
According to the National Assembly Budget Office report, unpaid premiums rose 42% from KRW26.4bn in 2021, while the number of delinquent households jumped 58.1% from 21,728 to 34,349 over the same five-year period.
The report further said that foreign nationals accounted for the vast majority of delinquent households, with 33,725 owing KRW34.4bn, and over the past five years, 134,505 cases totalling KRW47.7bn have been written off as uncollectible.
Under current regulations, an individual's health insurance benefits are officially suspended while they are out of the country. However, investigative reports indicate that some foreign workers leave their foreigner registration cards and active health insurance credentials behind with acquaintances when returning home or traveling abroad. This allows other individuals staying in Korea to use their identities and illegally access medical treatments.
The office said authorities should strengthen collection efforts before foreigners and overseas Koreans leave the country and establish a monitoring system to track changes in their residency status and promptly suspend their health insurance benefits.
It added that such measures are needed to prevent unpaid premiums from being written off after insured individuals leave the country.