The Benefits of the National Health Insurance and Oriental Medical Services

건강보험의 보장성과 한방의료 급여확대방안

This paper evaluated the benefits of the National Health Insurance(NHI) and suggested the necessity of extending some oriental medical services into the benefits schedule in the NHI. Comparing the rate of public financing in national health expenditure in OECD countries and measuring out-of-pocket payments in total medical cost showed the level of insurance payments to total medical cost is approximately $50%{\sim}60%$ in Korea, which is quite insufficient to pay household medical expenses, although the NHI covers the whole population. A few of consumers' priority surveys for medical needs suggested herb medicine, muscle treatment, and manufactured herb medicine be included in the list of the NHI benefits, based on efficiency and equity criteria. It was estimated that the NHI can afford to cover these three items of oriental medical services.