Nine out of 10 Koreans said it was worth paying the optimal amount of national health insurance premiums amid the continued fight against Covid-19, a survey showed.
Commissioned by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), Hankook Research conducted a poll on 2,000 adults aged 18 or more across the nation and found that most of the respondents had a positive view on the national health insurance system.
Asked how the respondents viewed the national health insurance, 24.4 percent said they were “very positive” about it, and 67.7 percent said “mostly positive.” In total, 92.1 percent said they were positive about the state health insurance program.
About 96 percent of the people in their 60s were positive about the national health insurance, followed by 92.6 percent among those in their 70s, 91.6 percent among 30s, 91.5 percent among 40s, and 90.7 percent among 50s. Only 7.9 percent of the respondents said they were negative about it.
Among 1,843 who replied to why the national health insurance was good, 40 percent said they felt “Korea’s health insurance was superior to that of other countries.”
The other 23 percent said, “Because the health insurance covers the cost of Covid-19 diagnosis and treatment.” Twenty-two percent said because they felt secure that they could receive treatment even if they contract the Covid-19 virus, and 13.8 percent said because they sensed the importance of social security in the Covid-19 national crisis.
More than 94 percent said Covid-19 made them realize the significance of the national health insurance, and 94.6 percent agreed that Korea could maintain the national health insurance system because people have been faithfully paying insurance premiums.
About 90 percent said they came to know that insurance premiums were worth paying, and 87 percent said they were willing to pay the optimal amount of premiums if they could enjoy the benefit of the national health insurance.
Kim Chun-seok, executive director of Hankook Research, said the recent survey demonstrated that Koreans recognized the value and the usefulness of the national health insurance at a psychological level and in real life, as their health concerns grew larger amid Covid-19.