South Korea’s National Health Insurance (NHIS) shows that its health insurance fiscal balance for foreign nationals moves into a surplus exceeding 1 trillion won for the first time, according to data submitted to a lawmaker. The report says the foreign nationals’ account posted a surplus of about 1.01 trillion won last year, continuing a pattern of surplus since 2017, as premiums collected exceed NHIS-covered medical expenses.
The figures also show a split across nationalities. The account for Chinese nationals reverses to a deficit of about 40.9 billion won last year after recording a small surplus the year before. While the foreign-national overall balance is in the black, the NHIS data presented highlight that performance differs by group. Different outlets emphasize the headline surplus for all foreign nationals versus the contrasting outcome for Chinese nationals.
