• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.373-384
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• 2006

This study analysed the effect of mothers' work status on time use in child care and use of market child care services. There were two major questions: Do self-employed (and family worker without being paid) mothers have a flexible work schedule and so can they care her child(ren) well? If it is true, is the work status as self-employee related to non-market child care services? To answer these questions, 1,196 samples were selected from the Time Use Data of 1999, which had been administered by Korea National Statistical Office. Major results were as follows: First, a mother who is family workers without being paid made time to care children frequently more than wage earners. Second, according to regression analysis, mothers' work status was one of the important variables to explain child care activity frequency. Third, among categories of child caring ('physical caring', 'non-physical caring', and 'caring of the others'), mothers spent more frequently in 'caring of the others', and had higher probability to use market child care services. But the more frequently a mother made time in 'non-physical caring' for her child, the lower probability to choose market child care services. In conclusion, it was certain that self-employed mothers benefit from a flexible time schedule at work places. But the relationship of child care activity frequency with use of market child care services was inconsistent.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.103-113
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• 2017

There have been many achievements for 40 years since the introduction of compulsory health insurance. Despite many achievements, it has many challenges in health insurance. Aging, non-communicable disease, and low growth economy are threatening the sustainability of health insurance, and it is time to reform the health insurance. A long-term reform plan will be an absolute necessity for reform of health insurance and health care system. Health insurance and health care reform should be an extremely revolutionary content that completely changes the framework. This reform should deal with the philosophy of health, approach of medical education and doctor training, changing supply of medical service, the innovation of primary medical care, reform of public health system, the management of medical utilization, the integration of medical cure and care services, enhancing the benefit coverage, prohibition of covered and non-covered services, etc. Therefore, it is urgent to form a consensus on the necessity of reform, to establish the health insurance plan on this consensus, and to make efforts to make health insurance sustainable.

• The Journal of Korean Institute for Practical Engineering Education
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.144-149
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• 2012

This paper reviews the uncovered people of the Korean Employment Insurance System (EIS) and analyzes policy options for minimizing the dead zone of the EIS. There are several policy options such as subsidizing insurance premium to employers and employees of small companies, extending coverage of excluded groups, relaxing qualifications of unemployment benefits and increasing benefit period and level, introducing the unemployment assistance system, introducing the unemployment insurance savings account system, extending coverage to non-wage workers and individualizing package services. According to the survey to the specialists and comparative evaluation criteria, the best policy option to minimize the dead zone of the EIS was to activate individualizing package services of intensive consultation, job place services, tailored vocational training, income support, daycare services, etc. to cure complex employment barriers of job seekers.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 1989

The evolution of telecommunications has raised the profile of many segments of the network that were not previously considered important. Until recently, basic telephony existed with the extension of passive cables without any particular user network interface. In the area of data communications, the introduction of flexible packet switching has allowed the network to evolve in a far more efficient manner. To overcome such separated network problems and business needs of both users and network providers, the integrated narrowband ISDN concept is being developed in most countries for implementation in the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The targets of ISDN, in my opinion, can be explained as follows : To the user, ISDN should provide the services at any time, at any place, through any media. To the business customer using PABX or LAN applications, ISDN should introduce customized services rapidly and also, ISDN should be developed by the modular hardware and software design approach in order for new services to be introduced rapidly and effectively. Software can be also developed by non-expert local staff to cater for adopting new user's service requirements immediately. Finally, ISDN will be able to increase business chances and benefit both users and operating companies.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.349-356
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• 2014

Background: This study aimed to explore factors associated with the non-use of beneficiaries of long-term care insurance services for the elderly in Jeollanam-do Province by analyzing a dataset obtained from National Health Insurance Service. Methods: The study sample consists of 1,663 individuals who were evaluated as eligible for long-term care insurance services in Jeollanam-do Province during the period of July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009. As a dependent variable, the non-use of the service was defined as one when a beneficiary had used it once or more times during one year after he or she was evaluated as eligible and as zero otherwise. A proportion analysis was conducted to describe characteristics of study sample. Chi-square tests were used to compare general characteristics between beneficiaries who had used the services and those who had not used them. Multiple logistic regressions were performed by three models including additional sets of explanatory variables such as socio-demographic characteristics, health conditions, and economic status. Results: Main results are summarized as follows. The proportion of beneficiaries who had not used the service was 14.5% of all beneficiaries. According to the results from the model using all explanatory variables, the factors associated with the non-use of the services were residence location, dwelling place, type of desired service, level of care needs, and instrumental activities of daily life limitations. Conclusion: In particular, regarding the type of desired service, the cash benefit showed a high likelihood of the non-use of the service; it had an odds ratio (OR) of 50.212 (95% confidence interval [CI], 24.00-105.04) compared with home service. In case of dwelling place, a hospital showed also a high likelihood of the non-use with an OR of 20.71 (95% CI, 10.12-42.44) compared with home.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.181-190
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• 2014

Background: Demands are recently rising for the securement of procedural justification of policy decision-making. This study aims to improve the procedure of making a decision to expand health insurance benefit package from the perspective of building a social consensus. Methods: Major priority principles were firstly derived through literature search. Weights for such principles were calculated through an analytic hierarchy process, based upon the survey conducted for the health policy experts. Priority for 11 non-covered services was assessed by applying the weights as above to the results of the questionnaire survey targeted at people including members of related committees or societies. Results: Weights for priority principles were in the order of 'severity/urgency (0.428)', 'cost-effectiveness (0.318)', 'substitutability (0.164),' and 'accountability (0.090)'. What was obtained by applying these weights to the results of the questionnaire survey was considerably in line with what health experts classified those items into 3 groups depending on their own judgement of service necessity (consistent with 9 services out of 11). Conclusion: Results of the study are suggestive as to how far a brief assessment by experts could be utilized in case there are constraints on time and expenses in implementing all the process to secure procedural justification. Various attempts and endeavors need to be made to secure procedural justification that will not mar efficiency of decision-making in the days to come.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.69-79
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• 2014

Coastal wetlands are among the most productive biomes in the Earth. The economic values include the direct use of a coastal wetland's ecosystem services, such as food, raw materials, recreation, and tourism. Other values comprise the indirect use of a coastal wetland's ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, waste-water treatment, and erosion prevention. In particular, Suncheon Bay is recently attracting attention as the most successful case of the preservation and restoration. This study applies Travel Cost Method (TCM) to estimate the economic value by drawing the demand curve for trips to Suncheon Bay. The TCM is an approach used for economic valuation of non-market goods and services. Based on the results of TCM, this study shows that the economic benefit from recreational uses of the site adds up to \174.7 billion per year. It is also significant in the sense that monetary information is suggested to help local policy makers evaluate the realistic values of coastal wetlands.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.374-378
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• 2019

After the announcement of Moon Jae-in Government's plan (Moon's Care) for Benefit Expansion in National Health Insurance in August 2017, it is necessary to monitor the effects of the policy, especially household out-of-pocket payments (OOP). This paper aims to observe the current status and trend of OOP in Korea. Current health expenditure (CHE) was 144.4 trillion won in 2018, which accounts for 8.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) increased 9.7% from the previous year. Although GDP's share of CHE has been close to the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, the public fund's share was 59.8% of the total in 2018, which was lower than the OECD average of 73.5%. OOP's share was 32.9% in 2018, which decreased from 37.4% in 2008. The share of OOP of non-covered services was 20.0% in 2018, which decreased from 22.9% in 2008. The share of cost-sharing with third-party payers was 12.9% in 2018, which decreased from 14.5% in 2008. The OOP of non-covered services was significantly decreased in hospital and inpatient curative care, but the OOP of non-covered services was significantly increased in the medical clinic. The effect of Moon's Care was not showed in OOP through the results of 2017 and 2018, but further monitoring is needed because the Moon's Care is progressing and the observational period is short.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.40-48
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• 2019

Background: As of July 2015, per diem payment was changed from fee for service Therefore, this study aims to analyse changes in medical charges and medical services before and after enforcement of the palliative care, targeting palliative care wards in a general hospital, and provide basic data needed for development of per diem payment. Methods: The subjects of the study were a total of 610 cases consisting of 351 patients of service fee who left hospital (died) from July 2014 to June 2016 and 259 ones of per diem payment at Chosun University Hospital in Gwangju Metropolitan City. Results: The results are summarized as follows. First, after the palliative care system was applied, benefit medical service charges and insurance increased significantly (p<0.001). As benefit medical service charges increased, benefit private insurance payment increased significantly (p<0.001). Second, after the per diem payment was applied, total private insurance payment to medical institutes decreased significantly (p=0.050) and non-benefit also decreased significantly (p=0.001). Conclusion: It is suggested that additional rewards in the obligatory palliative care items should be continuously remedied and monitored to provide good quality hospice palliative care.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.195-208
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze whether there are differences in medical expenses according to medical security type in the use of medical services with high disease burden such as coronary intervention. Methods: Chi-square test and covariance analysis(ANCOVA) were conducted to identify the differences in the characteristics and costs according to medical security type of 1,904 patients who underwent coronary intervention in a university hospital from 2011 to 2012. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine whether the cost affects medical expenses. Results: In the medical aid group, the proportion of women, those without a job, those without a spouse, and those who received hemodialysis was high, length of stay was high, patients using the emergency room and those who died was high. The medical aid patients were significantly higher in the non-benefit medical expenses, optional medical expenses, physician and admission, meals, medications and injections. National health insurance patients were significantly higher in procedure. The medical security type was found to be significant as a variable affecting the medical expenses. Conclusions: Provision of medical expenses should be managed in advance by providing prevention and education services for the vulnerable, and care services in the region should be provided to suppress the occurrence of medical expenses due to the increase in the number of days spent. In addition, it is necessary to support medical expenses to prevent unsatisfactory medical services from occurring for non-benefit and optional care.