NHIS: Total Delinquent Amount Reaches 174.2 Billion Won from License-Lending Pharmacies and Unauthorized Hospitals
# Individual A was found to have opened and operated a hospital in Seoul under the name of Doctor B and was sentenced to pay back the illicit gains. Despite having over 3 billion won in unpaid dues, A continued to avoid payment. In June, the National Health Insurance Service seized and sold gold rings and gift certificates worth approximately 1.2 million won from A through compulsory collection. In July, the agency also seized and collected about 19 million won from dormant bank accounts held by A. Currently, A has no assets under their own name, but authorities have obtained evidence that A concealed ownership of an apartment and villa by transferring them to a former spouse. As a result, a lawsuit to revoke fraudulent transfers is underway against A's ex-spouse.
On September 30, the National Health Insurance Service made public the personal information of 58 individuals, including operators of unauthorized hospitals, license-lending pharmacies, and medical professionals, who were found to have committed illegal acts and have failed to pay large amounts of illicit gains for an extended period. This information was released on the agency's website.
Among them, 28 are individuals related to unauthorized hospitals, 5 are corporations, and 25 are associated with license-lending pharmacies. The total amount of unpaid dues by these individuals and entities amounts to 174.238 billion won.
An unauthorized medical institution refers to a hospital or pharmacy that is established and operated under the name of another medical professional, pharmacist, or nonprofit corporation by someone who is not qualified to open such a facility.
Since the revision of the National Health Insurance Act in June 2020, which allows the disclosure of personal information of those who owe illicit gains from unauthorized institutions, the National Health Insurance Service has been making such information public for the third year in a row to encourage voluntary payment through social sanctions. The disclosure targets medical institutions (in the name of the registrant) and operators (unauthorized hospital operators) with more than 100 million won in unpaid dues and a delinquency period of over one year. For individuals, the disclosed information includes name, institution name, age, address, and total amount owed. For corporations, the corporate name, representative's name, corporate address, and total amount owed are made public.
Prior to the disclosure, the agency sent a "pre-disclosure notice" in November of last year to 85 individuals selected by the Committee for the Disclosure of Illicit Gain Delinquency Information. After providing a six-month period for voluntary payment and explanation, the final list of individuals to be disclosed was determined in September, taking into account whether payment commitments were fulfilled, income level, asset status, and other relevant factors.
The disclosed personal information will remain public unless the full amount is paid or more than 50% of the amount is paid, reducing the outstanding balance to less than 100 million won at the time of disclosure. Currently, the National Health Insurance Service website lists the personal information of a total of 76 delinquent payers, including 58 individuals disclosed in this round.
Kim Namhun, Executive Director of Benefits at the National Health Insurance Service, stated, "For operators of unauthorized institutions who have the ability to pay but refuse to do so, we are enforcing compulsory collection through on-site seizures. We will strengthen collection efforts through various means, including providing delinquency information to the Korea Credit Information Services and disclosing personal information to increase social pressure and encourage payment."
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