• 보건행정학회지
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.261-271
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• 2021

Background: In 2018, the government increased the fee for the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image deciphering services of the external hospital to discourage the redundant MRI scan and to induce appropriate use of the MRI services. It is important to evaluate the effect of the policy to provide the basis for establishing other MRI-related policies. Methods: The healthcare data of the patients who had brain MRI scans were organized by episode and analyzed using the panel study in order to find out the effect of the MRI-related policy on the substitution effect and the medical expenses. Results: As a result of the increase in the fee of deciphering the MRI image, there has been an uplift in deciphering the MRI scan of the external hospital. It implies that more hospitals chose to use the MRI scan taken by other clinics or hospitals, rather than the MRI scan taken at their own facilities. Conclusion: The research results imply that a policy that facilitates the exchange of the medical image data between the hospitals is needed in order to establish an efficient management system of the healthcare resources. Such improvement is expected to reduce the social cost and contribute to the stability in the finance of national health insurance.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.99-128
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• 2008

민간보험은 공적보험과 보완적인 관계를 형성함에도 불구하고 우리나라의 민간보험은 소득계층에 따른 접근성 차이로 인한 사회적 불평등, 도덕적 해이로 인한 공적보험 재정악화 등의 우려를 낳고 있다. 그러나 이에 관한 실증적 분석은 그간 이루어지지 못하여 정책적인 방향을 정립하는 데 장애가 되어 왔다. 본 연구는 건강보험공단, 심사평가원, 민간보험사, 행정자치부 주민등록세대정보 등의 관련 정보를 종합하여 이에 대한 실증분석을 시도했다. 그 결과, 우리나라의 민간보험 가입률은 전 국민의 64%에 달하고 있으며, 고소득층과 저소득층 간에 민간보험 가입률의 차이가 나타나지 않았다. 이는 공적보험의 보장성이 미흡한 상황에서 저소득층 역시 갑작스런 의료지출에 대비하고 있으며, 민간보험이 의료접근성의 계층화를 초래하지 않고 있다는 것을 시사한다. 또한 민간보험 가입자는 평균적으로 미가입자에 비해 의료이용량이 높지 않았으며, Two-Part Model을 통해 다양한 변수를 통제했을 경우에도 동일한 결과가 나타났다. 연령대에 따른 차이로 미루어 이러한 결과는 노동시장과 연관된 한시적인 성격일 것으로 추측되나, 현재로서는 민간보험 가입에 따른 도덕적 해이가 강하게 나타나고 있다는 근거는 발견되지 않았다.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제21권12호
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• pp.798-806
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• 2020

치면열구전색법은 건전한 구치부의 교합면의 좁고 깊은 소와나 열구를 전색 하여 교합면에 발생되는 치아우식증을 예방하기 위한 술식이다. 치면열구전색의 급여화 기준 확대 및 국가구강보건사업 결정에 필요한 기초자료를 제공하고자 본 연구를 시행하였다. 본 연구는 국민영양조사 원시자료 제 5기, 6기, 7기 자료를 토대로 만 6~18세 이하 소아청소년을 총 4,366명을 대상으로 치면열구전색 수혜량과 수혜률을 조사하였다. 2012년 치면열구전색 수혜률에서는 나이, 동. 읍면, 월 평균 가구소득에서 차이가 있었고. 일반적 특성이 수혜에 미치는 요인에서는 2014년 월평균 가구소득 2017년 나이, 월평균 가구소득에서 수혜률 차이가 나타났다(P<0.05). 연도별 일반적 특성이 수혜에 미치는 요인에서 2012년에서 동. 읍면, 월 평균 가구소득 2014년은 월 평균 가구소득, 2017년은 나이와 월 평균 가구소득이 영향을 미치는 요인으로 나타났다(P<0.05). 치아우식증에 효과적인 치면열구전색의 수혜량과 수혜률 증가를 위해서는 지속적인 사업의 홍보와, 본인부담금 감소 및 대상 치아 및 연령 확대, 소외지역 및 취약계층에 대한 지원 확대 방안에 대해서 다각적으로 논의해야 할 것으로 요구되어진다.

• 한국치위생학회지
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.311-321
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was conducted an in-depth analysis of the subjective oral status and oral care needs according and problems of the elderly. Methods: A phenomenological research method was from April 13 to 30, 2023, 15 elderly people aged 65 or older in Gwangju and Jeolla regions were surveyed. Results: He was experiencing oral changes such as difficulty chewing, dry mouth and indigestion, sensitive teeth, smell of fear and feeling sensitive when eating sweet or cold food. They were burdened by the financial difficulties of dental treatment costs, the inconvenience caused by frequent visits, and the pain experienced during treatment. Realized the need for necessity of oral care education, and their confidence was restored through dental treatment. It was necessary the image recovery of dentistry, and they wanted to maintain oral health through the expansion of treatment health insurance. Conclusions: Consequently, it is necessary to develop a practical oral health management program for the elderly based on social communication regarding of the elderly and to expand health insurance coverage.

• 대한본초학회지
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.1-16
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• 2012

Objective : To investigate the current status of prescription drugs in Oriental medical institutes and to draw up a future plan for the revitalization of Oriental medical health insurance, this survey has been performed. Method : The survey has been made with 321 doctors working at Oriental medical institutes in Daegu and Kyungbuk areas for a period of 3 month from June 1, 2010 until September 1, 2010. Result : 1. When it comes to the current status of the use of herbal drugs in Oriental Health insurance, most of doctors surveyed prescribe insurance drugs, and they prescribe insurance drugs to patients, who are less than 20% of total patients visiting their clinics. 2. The awareness of Herbal Health Care Drugs is investigated. When it comes to the understanding of the difference between insurance drugs(powder type drugs) and granular type drugs, doctors admit that they differ only in one aspect, whether or not their being covered by health insurance. Based on the survey results on the understanding of insurance coverage of granular type drugs, doctors, even though they long for granular type drugs to be accepted as insurance drugs, are worrying whether the number of outpatients might dwindle due to increased insurance co-payments. They also point out that the biggest obstacles in the expansion of the granular type drugs as insurance drugs are the lack of understanding of the government and the objection of the Health Insurance Review and Assesment service (HIRA) for fear of increased insurance claims. 3. Upon investigation on Oriental medicine doctors' understandings of herbal pharmaceutical industry, it is found that doctors' responses on pharmaceutical industry are not all positive ones('new product development and neglect of R&D infrastructure' and 'smallness of industry'). When it is investigated what area needs the greatest improvement in herbal pharmaceutical industry, 'securing sufficient capital, good manufacturing, and strengthening quality control', is the highest. 4. When it is asked what are the most needed in order to improve herbal health insurance medicine, responses such as 'the increase in the accessibility to and the utilization of Oriental medical clinics through the diversification of the means of prescriptions', 'the improvement of insurance benefits(cap adjustments)', 'increase the proportion of high quality medicinal plants', 'the ceiling of co-payments(deductible) at 20,000 won or more', 'expansion of the choices of formulations', 'formulational expansions of tablets and pills', and finally 'admittance and expansion of granular type drug as insurance drug' are the highest. 5. Upon investigating the general characteristics of the current status of the usage of Oriental health care herbal drugs, the followings are observed. First, the frequency of use of health insurance drugs by the doctors who use health insurance with general characteristics shows similar differences in case of total monthly sales amount (p<0.001), average number of daily patients (p<0.05). Secondly, as to the willingness of the expanded usage of insurance drugs, similar differences are observed in case of total monthly sales amount (p<0.05). 6. Upon investigating the general characteristics of the perception of Herbal health care drugs, the followings are observed. First, inspecting general characteristics and insurance claims due to increased co-payments(deductible amount) reveals similar differences in case of working period (p<0.01) and in case of total monthly sales amount (p <0.01). Secondly, inspecting general characteristics and the obstacles that hinder granular type drugs from being accepted as health care insurance drugs shows similar differences in case of working period (p<0.05). 7. Upon investigating the general characteristics of the understanding of Oriental Herbal pharmaceutical companies, the followings are observed. First, opinions on the general characteristics of pharmaceutical companies, when examined with variance analysis, shows similar differences in case of total monthly sales amount (p<0.05). Secondly, when opinions are examined on general characteristics and the problems of herbal pharmaceutical companies, similar differences are found in case of working period (p<0.01) and in case of total monthly sales amount (p<0.001). Lastly, opinions on the general characteristics and reforms of pharmaceutical companies, similar differences are observed in case of working period (p<0.001). 8. Upon investigating the general characteristics of the improvement of insurance Herbal drugs, the followings are observed. First, regarding general characteristics and insurance benefits, similar differences are observed in case of working period (p<0.05), in case of total monthly sales amount (p<0.05), and in case of average number of daily patients (p<0.01). Secondly, opinions on the general characteristics and the needs for the improvement of Herbal insurance drugs are examined in 5 different aspects, which are the approval of granular type drugs as insurance drugs, the expanded practices of the number of prescription insurance drugs, the needs of a variety of formulations, the needs of TFT of which numbers of Oriental medical doctors are members for the revision of the existing system, and the needs of adjusting the current ceiling of the fixed amount and the fixed rate. When processed by the analysis of variance, the results show similar differences in case of average number of daily patients (p<0.01). Conclusion : From the results of this study the first measures to take are, to reform overall insurance benefit system, including insurance co-payment system(fixed rate cap adjustment), to expand the number of the herbal drugs to be prescribed matching with insurance benefit accordingly, and to revitalize herbal medicine insurance system through the change of various formulations. In addition, it is recommended to improve the effectiveness of herbal medicine by making plans to enhance the efficacy of herbal medicine and by enabling small pharmaceutical companies to outgrow themselves.

• 대한예방한의학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.1-14
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• 2018

Objectives : This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of uninsured herbal medicine(UHM) users and the economic and social barriers of UHM utilization. Methods : We used the Korea Health Panel Data, representative national survey on medical utilization and cost, provided by National Health Insurance Service and Korea Institiute of Health and Social Affairs. The frequency analysis was used to identify the characteristics of the respondents, and the cross-analysis (${\chi}^2-test$) was used to verify the relationship between their characteristics and the usage of UHM. In order to analyze the determinants of using the UHM considering the individual's characteristics, logistic regression analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted for those who used the Korean medicine (KM) outpatient service in 2015. Results : The usage of UHM was significantly lower for those (1) who's age of 20 to 65; (2) who have the university or higher education degree; (3) who live in Jeju province, and (4) who bought the herbal medicine for other health related purposes. On the other hand, the usage of UHM for those (1) who have the first quintile of household income; (2) who have the chronic respiratory disease; (3) who have been taking the medicine for health promotion purpose for more than 3 months and (4) who have purchased the food which has health promotion function was significantly higher than others. The patients who have chronic musculoskeletal diseases accounted the most among the UHM users. Conclusions : There was the considerable inequality in the usage of UHM among household income groups, which provides policy rationale for UHM to be covered by national health insurance. To facilitate the coverage expansion, restrictive covering model can be considered for children and adolescents, or for patients with muskuloskeletal diseases who have the high demand for UHM.

• 대한본초학회지
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.17-23
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• 2009

Objectives : This study aimed to provide basic data for future policies regarding the expansion of health insurance, through investigating the current status of Oriental herbal medicine insurance as perceived by the public. Methods : Questionnaire was developed through literature searches, in-depth interviews, item generation and item reduction. The questionnaires were further refined by a focus group. 221 surveys were retrieved from the general public. Results : The in-depth interviews, reveal that the public is aware of the various forms of Oriental herbal medicine formulas, except for the use of mixture of which are soluble granules covered by insurance. The public awareness of the soluble granules turned out to be so low that enhanced awareness of it is required. The public identified decoctions as the most preferred formula as well as the most effective formulas out of all Oriental herbal medical formulas. They also suggested that it should be the first to be included when the insurance policy expands in the future. The public had frequent experienced not choosing Oriental herbal prescription due to the high cost. Insurance coverage of Oriental herbal prescription is much needed. The public indicated that they will make frequent visits to the KMD if the insurance covers Oriental herbal prescriptions. Conclusions : The current status quo of Oriental herbal medicine insurance showed that the public identified decoctions as the most preferred, most effective and the top priority to be covered by insurance.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.273-275
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• 2017

It has been forty years since the implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Korea. Following the 1977 legislature mandating medical insurance for employees and dependents in firms with more than 500 employees, South Korea expanded its health insurance to urban residents in 1989. Resultantly, total expenses of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) have greatly increased from 4.5 billion won in 1977 to 50.89 trillion won in 2016. With multiple insurers merging into the NHI system in 2000, a single-payer healthcare system emerged, along with separation policy of prescribing and dispensing. Following such reform, an emerging financial crisis required injections from the National Health Promotion Fund. Forty years following the introduction of the NHI system, both praise and criticism have been drawn. In just 12 years, the NHI achieved the fastest health population coverage in the world. Current medical expenditure is not high relative to the rest of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The quality of acute care in Korea is one of the best in the world. There is no sign of delayed diagnosis and/or treatment for most diseases. However, the NHI has been under-insured, requiring high-levels of out-of-pocket money from patients and often causing catastrophic medical expenses. Furthermore, the current environmental circumstances of the NHI are threatening its sustainability. Low birth rate decline, as well as slow economic growth, will make sustainment of the current healthcare system difficult in the near future. An aging population will increase the amount of medical expenditure required, especially with the baby-boomer generation of those born between 1955 and 1965. Meanwhile, there is always the problem of unification for the Korean Peninsula, and what role the health insurance system will have to play when it occurs. In the presidential election, health insurance is a main issue; however, there is greater focus on expansion and expenditure than revenue. Many aspects of Korea's NHI system (1977) were modeled after the German (1883) and Japanese (1922) systems. Such systems were created during an era where infections disease control was most urgent and thus, in the current non-communicable disease (NCD) era, must be redesigned. The Korean system, which is already forty years old, must be redesigned completely. Although health insurance benefit expansion is necessary, financial measures, as well as moral hazard control measures, must also be considered. Ultimately, there are three aspects that we must consider when attempting redesign of the system. First, the health security system must be reformed. NHI and Medical Aid must be amalgamated into one system for increased effectiveness and efficiency of the system. Within the single insurer system of the NHI must be an internal market for maximum efficiency. The NHIS must be separated into regions so that regional organizers have greater responsibility over their actions. Although insurance must continue to be imposed nationally, risk-adjustment must be distributed regionally and assessed by different regional systems. Second, as a solution for the decreasing flow of insurance revenue, low premium level must be increased to an appropriate level. Likewise, the national reserve fund (No. 36, National Health Insurance Act) must be enlarged for re-unification preparation. Third, there must be revolutionary reform of benefit package. The current system built a focus on communicable diseases which is inappropriate in this NCD era. Medical benefits must not be one-time events but provide chronic disease management. Chronic care models, accountable care organization, patient-centered medical homes, and other systems that introduce various benefit packages for beneficiaries must be implemented. The reimbursement system of medical costs should be introduced to various systems for different types of care, as is the case with part C (Medicare Advantage Program) of America's Medicare system that substitutes part A and part B. Pay for performance must be expanded so that there is not only improvement in quality of care but also medical costs. Moreover, beneficiaries of the NHI system must be aware of the amount of their expenditure through a deductible payment system so that spending can be profiled and monitored. The Moon Jae-in Government has announced its plans to expand the NHI system; however, it is important that a discussion forum is created so that more accurate analysis of the NHI, its environments, and current status of health care system, can take place for reforming NHI.

• 보건교육건강증진학회지
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.59-65
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• 2015

Objectives: Health screening in Korea is very active in both the public and private sector. However, primary prevention for health promotion has not been activated yet. Quaternary prevention is the prevention of unnecessary medical interventions or the prevention of overmedicalization. Methods: Data was collected after a search of the literature focusing on keyword. The curriculum guidelines for family medicine residents were collected from the homepage of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Results: This quaternary prevention is just beginning. The first step to enhance the health promotion services in the community is to identify the barriers pertaining to the delivering of health promotion activities. These barriers are related to the patient, the physician, attitudes, health promotion programs and the healthcare system. The second step is to establish new changes, such as expansion of insurance coverage, improvement of medical payment system, provision of consumer-oriented services, connection and integration of providers, and the service provider education and training. Conclusions: In order to enhance the health promotion services in the community we need to identify the barriers and to establish several changes to overcome them.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제41권3호
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• pp.165-172
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• 2008

Objectives : Despite various government initiatives, including the expansion of national health insurance coverage, health inequality has been a key health policy issue in South Korea during the past decade. This study describes and compares the extent of the total health inequality and the income-related health inequality over time among Korean adults. Methods : This study employs the 1998, 2001 and 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANESs). The self-assessed health (SAH) ordinal responses, measured on a five-point scale, resealed to cardinal values to measure the health inequalities with using interval regression. The boundaries of each threshold for the interval regression analysis were obtained from the empirical distribution of the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) valuation weights estimated from the 2005 KNHANES. The final model predicting the individuals' health status included age, gender, educational attainment, occupation, income, and the regional prosperity index. The concentration index was used to measure and analyze the health inequality. Results : The KNHANES data showed an unequal distribution of the total health inequality in favor of the higher income groups, and this is getting worse over time (0.0327 in 1998, 0.0393 in 2001 and 0.0924 in 2005). The income-related health inequality in 2005 was 0.0278, indicating that 30.1% of the total health inequality can be attributed to income. Conclusions : The findings indicate there are health inequalities across the sociodemographic and income groups despite the recent government's efforts. Further research is warranted to investigate what potential policy actions are necessary to decrease the health inequality in Korea.