Lee Gaeho Urges Strengthening Expertise in Health Insurance Fund Management

Low Salaries and Welfare Drive Outflow of Professionals
Job Rotation Practices Hinder Accumulation of Expertise
"Introduce Dedicated Evaluation and Compensation System for Fund Management Positions"

Lee Gaeho, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Lee Gaeho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Damyang, Hampyeong, Yeonggwang, and Jangseong in South Jeolla Province, strongly criticized the lack of expertise in the management of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) fund during the parliamentary audit of the NHIS on October 17, 2025, and called for improvements. Assemblyman Lee pointed out, "The job rotation system and the lack of professional workforce management make it difficult for skilled experts to serve long-term, while low salaries and poor welfare are causing the outflow of professionals and hindering new recruitment."

According to the audit materials submitted by the National Health Insurance Service, the total return on health insurance funds in the second quarter of this year was 4.27%, surpassing both the annual target return (3.11%) and the benchmark return (2.97%). However, a closer look reveals that the alternative investment return was only 0.90%, which is 1.21 percentage points lower than the benchmark, highlighting a clear performance gap among asset classes.

Assemblyman Lee criticized, "The current target return (3.11%) is only linked to the market interest rate or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and the alternative investment sector is being managed overly conservatively." He also stressed, "It is urgent to exempt work related to management, risk, and performance evaluation from job rotation, and to introduce a dedicated evaluation and compensation system for fund management positions, including target-based, organizational, and long-term performance bonuses."

In response, Jeong Ki-seok, President of the National Health Insurance Service, replied, "I agree with the points raised, and we are making efforts to enhance the expertise of the management department, such as hiring department heads through an open recruitment process. In the long term, we will do our best to assign specialized positions and improve returns to help ease the burden of health insurance premium increases."