National Assembly Audit Highlights Divergent Views on Foreign Health Insurance & Medical Tourism
Seoul, South Korea – A recent Health adn Welfare Committee audit at the National Assembly revealed sharply contrasting perspectives from the ruling and opposition parties regarding the financial status of foreign health insurance and policies surrounding medical tourism, particularly concerning Chinese nationals. The audit, held on October 14th, centered on recent shifts in health insurance finances and allegations of improper benefit claims.
Democratic Party of Korea Representative Lee Gae-ho cautioned against what he described as the fueling of anti-China sentiment, dismissing claims of widespread fraudulent benefit claims by foreigners as “fake news” and arguing they create a false narrative of reverse discrimination against Korean citizens. He specifically referenced recent statements by People Power Party Senior Vice-President Kim Eun-hye regarding alleged discrepancies in premium payments versus benefits received by Chinese individuals, labeling them inaccurate.
“Recently, far-right forces have been stimulating anti-China sentiment, and there are concerns that if the main opposition party agrees with this, the institutional political parties may become extreme right-wing groups,” Rep. lee stated during the audit.
Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyung corroborated Rep. Lee’s assertion regarding the overall financial picture,stating that the overall balance of foreigners’ health insurance finances is currently in surplus. She further noted that Chinese nationals also contributed to a surplus of approximately 5.5 billion won in the previous year.Minister Jeong also announced a policy change effective April 2024,requiring foreigners to reside in the country for at least six months to qualify for health insurance coverage,and pledged increased openness in financial reporting to address public concerns.
Conversely, People power Party lawmaker Choi Bo-yoon emphasized the continued seriousness of illegal benefit receipt by foreigners. Rep. Choi cited a 16.8% increase in identified cases of illegal benefit claims in 2024 compared to the previous year, with over 70% of those cases involving chinese nationals. He argued this represents a systemic issue, rather than simply anti-China sentiment.
“The number of foreigners caught receiving illegal benefits in 2024 was 1,700…more than 70% of the illegal recipients were Chinese,” Rep. Choi stated. He also highlighted a shift in financial performance,noting that Chinese health insurance moved from a deficit of 473.8 billion won over the period 2016-2023 to a surplus of 5.5 billion won in 2024 following system improvements.
Minister Jeong acknowledged ongoing system improvements dating back to 2018, attributing the majority (99.5%) of illegal payments to administrative errors, specifically delays in employers notifying authorities of employee resignations. She emphasized that these are not intentional acts of fraud by individuals and that further system enhancements are underway to prevent recurrence.
(Image: A still from a live broadcast of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee audit.)
This audit underscores the complex debate surrounding foreign healthcare access and the need for balanced policy approaches that address legitimate concerns about financial sustainability and potential fraud while avoiding the perpetuation of negative stereotypes.