A citizen waits to get tested for the new coronavirus in western Seoul on July 25, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 28 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent survey has revealed that South Koreans have new-found respect for the state health insurance program following the coronavirus outbreak.
The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) conducted a survey of 2,000 South Korean adults, 87 percent of whom showed a willingness to pay insurance premiums to enjoy the benefits of the national health insurance program.
At 88.9 percent, the vast majority of respondents believed that their insurance premiums were being used for meaningful activities.
More than 90 percent of South Koreans had positive views toward the national health insurance program, while only 7.9 percent said otherwise.
As for the reasons, 40 percent said they were able to experience the benefits of the health insurance program that were unlike any other nation.
Another 23 percent said they were able to receive coronavirus treatment with the health insurance program, and 21.6 percent said they were confident that the program would be there to help whenever someone was infected with the coronavirus.
South Koreans agree that the National Health Insurance has taken on a significant role during the coronavirus pandemic.
Almost 95 percent of respondents were relieved that the health insurance program was there during times of national emergency, while 94.1 percent said they realized the importance of the program.
Among many duties and responsibilities of the NHIS, 67 percent of respondents were well aware of the service’s real-time infection notification system using hospital visitation logs.
Another 55.3 percent were aware of the NHIS’s health insurance big data system to classify patients under serious conditions, while 50.6 percent were aware of the NHIS’s subsidy program that pays for 80 percent of all costs related to coronavirus treatment.
Lesser known duties of the NHIS included 30 to 50 percent insurance fee discounts for Daegu and other emergency hotspots for three months (35 percent), and early wage payments for the stable operation of medical institutions (34.7 percent).
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
