The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 3rd that it would implement the first phase pilot project for sickness and sickness benefits in six regions: Jongno in Seoul, Bucheon in Gyeonggi, Cheonan in Chungnam, Pohang in Gyeongbuk, Changwon in Gyeongnam, and Suncheon in Jeonnam. The first phase pilot project will be implemented for one year from the 4th. The goal of the Ministry of Health and Welfare is to introduce the sickness and sickness allowance in 2025 after a three-year pilot project. The sickness and sickness allowance this year is 43,960 won, which is 60% of the daily minimum wage.
The government plans to compare the policy effects by applying three models to the six regions targeted for the pilot project. Model 1 is applied to Bucheon and Pohang. Injury and sickness allowance is paid during the period when work is impossible regardless of hospitalization. The waiting period (the waiting period before the start of the payment) is 7 days, and the maximum guarantee period is 90 days. Model 2 is applied to Jongno and Cheonan. Regardless of whether hospitalized or not, an allowance is paid for the period of inability to work, but the waiting period is set at 14 days and the maximum coverage period is set at 120 days. In Suncheon and Changwon, where Model 3 is applied, allowances are paid for the number of days of medical use only when workers are hospitalized, and the waiting period is 3 days and the guarantee period is up to 90 days.
It was found that the implementation of the sickness and sickness allowance system costs up to 4 trillion won or more per year. According to the ‘2021 Institute for Health and Social Affairs Financial Estimates’ submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Lee Jong-seong’s Office of People’s Power, the amount of money spent on sickness and sickness allowances as of last year was estimated at up to 4.26 trillion won. This is about 2.4 times larger than the previously calculated by the Health Insurance Policy Research Institute that a maximum of 1.77 trillion won per year is required for sickness and sickness benefits.
The estimated amount of the Institute for Health and Social Affairs is the amount required when the waiting period is 3 days, the maximum guarantee period is 180 days, and the calculation method is a fixed rate system. The flat rate system is a calculation method that applies 60% of income. Under the same conditions, the estimated amount of the flat rate is 3.5999 trillion won, well over 3 trillion won. The flat rate pays 60% of the minimum wage regardless of income, and is applied to the first phase pilot project. This data is data derived from last year, and as the minimum wage continues to rise, the amount of sickness and sickness allowance is inevitably larger than the estimated amount.
It looks like it will cost a lot of money to pay the sickness and sickness allowance, but the government is unable to come up with a sharp financial plan. An official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, “We will materialize the plan through the pilot project.” For now, it is highly likely that the finances of health insurance will be the source of the sickness and sickness allowance. However, there is a hole in the health insurance finances due to the Moon Jae-in administration’s policy of strengthening protection and insufficient support from the state treasury.
[이희조 기자]
[ⓒ 매일경제 & mk.co.kr, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
