• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2021

With the introduction of national health insurance, the burden of health care costs decreased and choices of medical services widened. However, because of the rapid expansion of non-covered medical services by health insurance, financial security for health care expenditure is still low. This gives patients barriers to choose medical services especially for non-covered medical services, and it becomes narrower. Compared to Korea, Japan has high financial protection in health care utilization, but there exists a limitation using covered and non-covered medical services both together. This is called a prohibition of mixed treatment in health care. This study reviews the Japanese health care system that limits choosing medical services and the burden of health care costs. The prohibition of mixed treatment can alleviate the out-of-pocket burden in the non-benefit sector, but it can be found that it has a huge limitation in that it places restrictions on choices for both healthcare professionals and patients.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.214-222
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• 2023

Refugees who are persecuted can apply for refugee recognition in the Republic of Korea in accordance with the Refugee Convention and the Refugee Act. They can do so either at the port of entry or during their stay in Korea. After undergoing screening, individuals may be recognized and protected under different categories, such as recognized refugees, humanitarian status holders, refugee applicants, and refugees seeking resettlement. Recognized refugees are entitled to the same social benefits and basic livelihood guarantees as Korean nationals. Humanitarian status holders and refugee applicants may receive support such as minimum living expenses, housing facilities, medical care, and education. In the medical field, refugees and their unmarried minor children are eligible for medical support through the "Medical Service Support Project for Marginalized Populations, Including Foreign Workers." This support is in addition to the national healthcare coverage and medical benefits provided by the government. However, there are pressing concerns regarding the inadequate budget allocated to this project and the excessive cost burden placed on participating medical institutions. It is crucial to secure additional funding and implement administrative improvements. Furthermore, it is essential to develop medical support measures that ensure the minimum right to health for individuals who choose not to undergo the refugee recognition process at the port of entry.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.174-183
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• 2024

Among Asian nations, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea exemplify countries with high standards of medical quality. This review explores the differences in medical education policies between Japan and Singapore, particularly concerning governance, and discusses the implications for South Korea's medical education policies. Relevant documents were analyzed by referencing scholarly articles and data from governmental and expert organizations in each country. In Japan, advances in medical education policies include initiatives such as the regional quota system and the core curriculum model, which emphasize stakeholder engagement and transparency. However, challenges persist due to limited stakeholder participation, necessitating a transition toward a more equitable governance paradigm. Singapore's model features robust public-private partnerships with minimal direct governmental intervention, emphasizing innovation and community integration, as seen in the Healthier SG project. These case studies demonstrate effective governance involving significant stakeholder collaboration and strategic financial investments. Conversely, South Korea's medical education policies face challenges from a predominantly government-centric approach, with an absence of cohesive governance structures and inadequate involvement from essential professional stakeholders. This situation has led to policy inconsistencies and a deficit of strategic direction, exacerbated by insufficient financial support for educational infrastructure and program development. The experiences of Japan and Singapore indicate that it would be beneficial for South Korea to adopt integrated governance frameworks that prioritize transparency and collaboration. Furthermore, increasing financial investment in medical education could mitigate existing deficiencies and improve the quality and effectiveness of its healthcare education system.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.257-262
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• 2018

This study reviews the advent of long-term care (LTC) hospitals and its key issues in Korea. For analysis, enforcement ordinances and enforcement rules related to LTC hospitals were reviewed. Official statistic data were used for quantitative analysis and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data were utilized for comparative analysis. Various references and expert interviews were conducted for status analysis. As of 2016, the number of LTC hospitals was 1,386 and the number of beds were 246,373. It showed the trend of increasing medical care costs and the cost of care at LTC hospitals increasing from 998.8 billion Korean won in 2008 to 4,745.6 billion Korean won in 2016, accounting for 7.3% of the total National Health Insurance expenditure. From the societal perspective, several issues were pointed out within the current health care system related to LTC hospitals: establishment of roles, concerns about the increase in medical expenses, and the quality of medical personnel.

• Journal of the Korea society of information convergence
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2015

Health Medical Act contains the reponsibility of Nation about People's Right and Obligation and aim at promoting health and welfare of People. The old age officially means time when Health is weakened. To complete the social security it is on the one hand necessary to provide an elaborate system of coordination in the field of social security. It should be pursued on policy. Medical benefits should be comparatively analysed to have implications for the national legislation.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.382-393
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• 2019

The right to petition is a classical right of the people in constitutional states, and in Korea, it is a statutory right in the Constitution, the National Assembly Law, the Petition Law, and the Local Autonomy Act. The healthcare community first made a successful petition to the National Assembly when it achieved the amendment of the Government Organization Act through a petition to the National Assembly for the independence of the Ministry of Health, and this achievement served as the basis for further petitions. Since then, the healthcare community has successfully achieved the enactment and amendment of related occupational laws through National Assembly petitions, such as the amendment of Article 41, Paragraph 7 of the former Medical Insurance Act (Korean Medical Association, 14th Assembly), enactment of the Dental Health Act (Korean Dental Association, 15th Assembly), and amendment of the Health Functional Foods Act (Korea Pharmaceutical Association, 16th Assembly). Its petition accomplishment rate is higher than the total petition accomplishment rate of the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly. However, along with the overall decrease in the number of National Assembly petitions, the Korean Medical Association and Korea Pharmaceutical Association have not achieved any results through petitioning since the 16th Assembly (June 2000), and the Korean Hospital Association and Korean Nurses Association have not achieved any results through petitioning since the 17th Assembly (April 2004). Furthermore, no National Assembly petitions have been made at all for 5 years (2014-2018). The Korean Medical Association and Korea Pharmaceutical Association previously showed a high petition accomplishment rate through their accumulated experience with National Assembly petitions and vigorous policy assistance from doctors/pharmacists/nurses turned lawmakers. More specifically, healthcare organizations have achieved results by actively conducting organized activities with the National Assembly, as implemented by a national assembly director and employees, and in case of petitions for legislation, each group has established infrastructure for reviewing the relevant laws by appointing a legislative director, as well as a legal advisor and advisory counsel. Although the organization that has submitted the most petitions to the National Assembly is the Korean Hospital Association, the group with the highest petition success rate is the Korean Medical Association, which may be linked to the relatively high proportion of doctors who have become lawmakers. Furthermore, the fact that other healthcare organizations were highly interested in petitioning the National Assembly has had major implications for the petition activities of healthcare organizations.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.341-344
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• 1999

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.211-218
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• 2017

Background: Korea set up new diagnosis related group (DRG) as demonstration project in 2009. The new DRG was reformed in 2016. The main purpose of study is to identify the effect of reform on accuracy of payment. Methods: This study collected inpatient data from a hospital which contains medical information and cost from 2015 to 2016. The dependent variables were accuracy of total, bundled, unbundled payment, and payment for procedures. To analyze the effect of reform, this study conducted a multi-variate regression analysis adjusting for confounding variables. Results: The accuracy of payment increased after policy reform. The accuracy of total, bundled, unbundled payment, and payment for procedures significantly increased 3.90%, 2.92%, 9.03%, and 14.57% after policy reform, respectively. The accuracy of unbundled payment showed the largest increase among dependent variables. Conclusion: The results of study imply that policy reform enhanced the accuracy of payment. The government needs to monitor side effects such as increase of non-covered services. Also, leads to a considerable improvement in the value of cost unit accounting as a strategic play a role in development of DRG.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.237-248
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• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine and explain the extent of income-related inequity in health care utilization and expenditures to compare the extent in 2005 and 2010 in Korea. Methods: We employed the concentration indices and the horizontal inequity index proposed by Wagstaff and van Doorslaer based on one- and two-part models. This study was conducted using data from the 2005 and 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We examined health care utilization and expenditures for different types of health care providers, including health centers, physician clinics, hospitals, general hospitals, dental care, and licensed traditional medical practitioners. Results: The results show the equitable distribution of overall health care utilization with pro-poor tendencies and modest pro-rich inequity in the amount of medical expenditures in 2010. For the decomposition analysis, non-need variables such as income, education, private insurance, and occupational status have contributed considerably to pro-rich inequality in health care over the period between 2005 and 2010. Conclusions: We found that health care utilization in Korea in 2010 was fairly equitable, but the poor still have some barriers to accessing primary care and continuing to receive medical care.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2014

Recently, interest in traditional medicine has increased steadily. Nations having traditional medicine system have been attempting to change it institutionally for the purpose of public application boost in use of traditional medicine. But there are not too many countries which have established the modern system of education and licensing system for traditional medicine with it maintained as a part of a national health care system. The best known examples of nations utilizing traditional medicine are the People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. These countries follow different patterns in the relationship with western medicine according to different social and historical backgrounds. Taiwan has dual medical system as Korean. In this study, we looked through history and the current state of affairs of national health care system in Taiwan, and also found out the licensing system, the educational system, and the curriculum in several universities. thoroughly. Furthermore, we looked into the direction of the policy of Taiwanese health care system which has been becoming an integrated medical system between traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine. With findings based on this study, we deduced implications of a future policy line about the integrated medical system in Korea to minimize conflicts between the concerned parties.