As the number of employees with additional income subject to health insurance premiums approaches 1 million, the scale of unpaid premiums is growing even faster. Notably, while those with additional income exceeding 100 million won account for only about 8% of the total, they represent half of the total arrears. This has raised calls for the National Health Insurance Service to strengthen its management of high arrears.
According to data submitted by the National Health Insurance Service to Rep. Choi Bo-yun of the People Power Party, as of the end of June this year, the number of individuals subject to additional income monthly health insurance premiums was 987,210, nearing the 1 million mark. This is an increase of about 50,000 from 931,661 at the end of last year. Additional income monthly health insurance premiums are incurred by employees who earn interest, dividends, or business income exceeding a certain threshold beyond their salary.
The number of individuals subject to these premiums has been on the rise annually. It increased from 662,704 in 2023 to 804,951 in 2024, and then to 931,661 last year.
The issue is that the amount of arrears is increasing at a faster rate than the assessed premiums. The annual assessed amount rose from 1.334 trillion won in 2023 to 1.6938 trillion won last year, a 27% increase. During the same period, the cumulative arrears for those overdue by more than six months grew from 27.6 billion won to 37.4 billion won, marking a 35.5% increase.
This year, the pace of arrears growth has accelerated further. As of July, the cumulative arrears reached 45.3 billion won, an increase of 7.9 billion won (21.1%) from 37.4 billion won at the end of last year. The number of delinquent payers also rose from 17,000 to 26,000 during the same period, a 52.9% increase.
Arrears are particularly concentrated among high-income earners. As of July, there were about 2,000 individuals with additional income exceeding 100 million won, accounting for only 7.7% of the total, but their cumulative arrears amounted to 22 billion won, or 48.6% of the total. In contrast, those with additional income below 50 million won made up 73.1% of the total delinquent payers, but their share of the arrears was only 29.4% (13.3 billion won).
As arrears increase, the National Health Insurance Service has also ramped up its collection efforts. The number of collection cases for additional income monthly health insurance premiums has steadily risen: 1,588,480 cases in 2023, 1,853,556 in 2024, and 2,143,618 last year. The cumulative number of seizures reached 33,912 by August this year, which is 63.8% of last year's total. However, there have been no public auctions related to the arrears from additional income monthly health insurance premiums yet.
In light of this situation, there are growing calls for the National Health Insurance Service to enhance its management of high arrears. Rep. Choi stated, "To ensure fairness among subscribers and the stability of health insurance finances, management of high arrears must be strengthened."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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