Pro-Moon lawmaker raps Yoon's health insurance reform initiative as 'insane'

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Thu, November 30, 2023 | 01:04

Politics

Pro-Moon lawmaker raps Yoon's health insurance reform initiative as 'insane'

Posted : 2022-12-14 11:51

Updated : 2022-12-14 17:04

Rep. Youn Kun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea talks to journalists at the National Assembly, Dec. 1. Yonhap

A lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea who previously served as a key aide to former President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday slammed President Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to reform the national health insurance system as an "insane" move thrusting medical expenses on the public.

On Tuesday, President Yoon called for a quick "normalization" of the health insurance system in what was seen as an indication of his intent to scrap the health insurance policy of the previous Moon administration, which centered on expanding coverage and lowering the burden of hospital bills on households.

"In a nutshell, what they are doing is insane," Rep. Youn Kun-young, who served as Moon's senior presidential secretary, said in a KBS radio interview. "It's gravely worrying. What the Yoon Suk-yeol government is attempting to do is throwing a medical expense bomb to people of average class."

Branding the Yoon government as a "very dangerous administration" that is attempting to do what no other conservative government has done, the DPK lawmaker accused the Yoon administration of seeking to destroy Korea's national health insurance system that is extensive compared with other countries.

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On views that Moon's expanded coverage led to a waste of financial resources, Youn claimed that excessive expenditure accounts for a small fraction and does not justify a complete overhaul of the system.

Youn raised allegations that reforming the health insurance system is part of broader "political revenge" targeting the preceding administration.

"The Yoon Suk-yeol government is bent on erasing all traces of the Moon Jae-in administration," he said. "Rather than putting priority on taking care of the economy and livelihood matters and looking after state affairs, President Yoon is pouring everything into political revenge against the preceding government." (Yonhap)