An annual average of 11.2 billion won ($8.36 million) flows out of the state health insurance fund due to short-term foreign sojourners of less than six months registered as beneficiaries.

Rep. Lee Jong-seong of the ruling People Power Party said so on Monday, based on his analysis of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) data.

According to Lee, about 11,000 short-staying foreigners of less than six months have registered themselves as the dependents of insurance subscribers on average a year from 2018 to 2021.

During this period, each foreign dependent who stayed for a short period received health insurance benefits of about 950,000 on average.

Their annual average insurance benefit also increased from 692,000 won in 2018 to 759,000 won in 2019, 1.124,000 won in 2020, and 1,232,000 won in 2021.

“Due to the aftereffect of the Covid-19 pandemic, the short-term foreign dependents fell temporarily,” Lee said. “However, if the growth trend returns to pre-Covid-19 levels as the pandemic weakens to an endemic, the financial leakage will get more serious.”

Noting that the government is trying to secure medical insurance’s sustainability partly by blocking foreign free riders, the ruling party legislator said, “We at the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee will also actively help such efforts.”