Next Year's Health Insurance Premium Rate Set at 7.19%... First 1.48% Increase in Three Years

Average Monthly Premium for Workplace Policyholders: 158,464 Won to 160,699 Won
For Regional Policyholders: 88,962 Won to 90,242 Won

Next year's National Health Insurance premium rate will increase by 1.48% compared to this year. For employee subscribers, this means paying an average of 2,235 won more per month in premiums than this year.

On August 28, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held the '15th Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee (HIPDC) for 2025' and decided to raise the 2026 premium rate to 7.19%, up 1.48% from this year's 7.09%.

The HIPDC explained that while the current financial status of the National Health Insurance is stable, the income base has weakened due to two consecutive years of premium rate freezes and ongoing economic stagnation. The committee also noted the need for a certain level of increase, considering future expenditures required by new government policy initiatives such as strengthening regional and essential healthcare services.

However, the committee also took into account the public's capacity to bear premium increases amid high inflation, and therefore decided on a 0.1 percentage point increase. At the same time, it plans to enhance the stability of the insurance fund by actively improving spending efficiency, including identifying and managing factors that cause unnecessary medical expenses and financial leakage.

With this decision, the average monthly premium (individual share) for employee subscribers will rise from 158,464 won this year to 160,699 won next year. For regional subscribers, the average monthly premium will increase by 1,280 won, from 88,962 won to 90,242 won.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated, "We will continue our efforts to improve spending efficiency and strengthen fiscal management so that the valuable premiums paid by the public are used where they are most needed. Through these efforts, we will also continue to enhance coverage to reduce the burden of medical expenses for the public, such as nursing care costs and treatment expenses for rare, severe, or intractable diseases, and to improve access to necessary treatments."

Previously, the premium rate was raised almost every year, increasing from 5.08% in 2009 to 7.09% in 2023. The HIPDC froze the premium rate for both 2024 and this year, citing concerns about the public's burden. This was the first time the premium rate had been frozen for two consecutive years.