“Essential healthcare” has emerged as the most prominent topic of Korea’s medical community in 2022, replacing Covid-19. However, that was not the only controversy this year. As the political power changed through the presidential election in March, significant changes were also predicted in health and medical policies. Old controversies, including the permission of “new medical schools,” were repeated. Korea Biomedical Review summed them up into the top-five health and medical news. -- Ed.
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration is moving to do away with former President Moon Jae-in’s healthcare policy, nicknamed “Mooncare.”
President Yoon defined Mooncare as a “populist policy,” making it official that he would discard it. He then vowed to reform the health insurance system to strengthen the eligibility criteria for insurance benefits and prevent the waste and leakage of insurance money.
The incumbent leader said he plans to use these saved financial resources to support the treatment of severe diseases and provide essential healthcare services.
Rival political parties clashed over Yoon’s purported plan to nullify Mooncare.
The opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) showed vehement reactions, describing President Yoon’s plan as an “insane thing.” Civic organizations also opposed Yoon’s policy as a setback to increasing insurance coverage. In contrast, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has launched a supportive fire to abolish Mooncare.
DKP lawmakers criticized Yoon’s description of Mooncare as populism, saying Yoon’s remark was “populism” itself. “The incumbent administration should stop the ‘insane thing’ of shaking the entire health insurance system, although excessive expenses are only a small part of it,” they said. “It is like burning a house to catch a bug.”
Rep. Lee Jong-seong of PPP countered, saying, “President Yoon has officially declared to normalize health insurance. That’s because although the previous government poured more than 20 trillion won into Mooncare, it failed to produce few results while increasing people’s burden.”
The PPP legislator went on to say, “As if he was being generous, DPK leader Lee Jae-myung proposed us to ‘borrow the previous government’s policy.’ However, by most appearances, the remark was like saying, ‘we will borrow you a rag so that you can wash it well and use it as a dishtowel.’”