The number of people losing their national health insurance certificate because they failed to pay premiums due to salary reductions and other hardships is on the rise.
When an insured person fails to pay premiums for a year or more, the national health insurance law, which was revised in April last year, stipulates that local governments must nevertheless issue a qualification certificate.
The qualification certificate forces users to pay their full hospital bill and wait for the health insurance system to reimburse them -- a structure that could discourage people who need medical care from seeking treatment.