Next Year's Health Insurance Premium Rate Frozen at 7.19%
7.19% Premium Rate Freeze Approved by Policy Committee
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Next year’s health insurance premium rate will remain unchanged at 7.19%, the same as this year. With the premium rate, which was raised last year for the first time in three years, now frozen, the insurance burden on both employee and self-employed policyholders will also stay at this year’s level.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on September 8 that the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee has convened and approved the resolution to set the 2027 health insurance premium rate as described.
The health insurance premium rate was frozen at 6.12% in 2017, raised again starting in 2018, and after rising to 7.09% in 2023, was held steady for two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025. Last year, it was increased by 1.48 percentage points to 7.19%, but with another freeze this year, the rate will remain unchanged next year without a further hike. This is the fifth time in history, including 2009, that the premium rate has been frozen.
Next year, not only will the premium rate be maintained, but the amount charged per point for property insurance contributions by self-employed policyholders will also be kept at 211.5 won.
The committee explained that its decision to freeze the premium rate reflects a comprehensive consideration of the expenditures needed to strengthen regional, essential, and public healthcare services and to implement health insurance coverage innovation measures, while at the same time recognizing that the health insurance finances are operating stably.
Health insurance has recorded a surplus in its current accounts for the past five years, and as of the end of last year, its reserve stood at 30.2 trillion won, equivalent to 3.5 months’ worth of payments. In addition, next year’s government subsidy is expected to increase by about 1.1 trillion won compared to this year, and premium income is also projected to rise due to the recent boom in the semiconductor industry. These factors influenced the decision.
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Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Lee Hyun-hoon stated, “We will proactively identify and implement spending efficiency measures so that the premiums paid by the public are effectively used for essential medical services. Through these efforts, we will continue to strengthen regional, essential, and public healthcare, and reduce the medical burden for people with rare, severe, and intractable diseases.”
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