• 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.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.325-337
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• 2023

Background: While there are many studies estimating the effects of private health insurance on various types of health care utilization, few have examined how such effects change in conjunction with important policy reforms in national health insurance (NHI). This study examined how the effect of private health insurance (supplemental and fixed cash benefit) on high-cost outpatient imaging test utilization changed following the expansion of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coverage in 2018, which is a key example of the NHI benefit expansion policy in recent years. Methods: Data from the 2017 and 2019 Korea Health Panel Survey, which contained information about healthcare utilization before and after the expansion of MRI coverage in 2018, were used. The incremental effect of private health insurance on high-cost outpatient imaging test utilization for each period were quantified and compared, with special attention given to the type of private health insurance. Results: While people with supplemental private health insurance were more likely to use high-cost outpatient imaging tests than those without, both before and after the expansion of MRI coverage, the incremental effect increased from 1.6% points in 2017 to 2.5% points in 2019. Conclusion: Benefit expansion in NHI does not necessarily reduce disparities in the use of health care between private health insurance subscribers and non-subscribers. The results of our study also suggest that the path through which private health insurance affects healthcare utilization may not be limited to the price mechanism alone but can be more complex.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.65-80
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• 2005

This study examines the effects of supplemental insurance on health care utilization and expenditures among cancer patients, who were hospitalized in a general hospital in Korea 2003. We find that those who purchase the supplemental insurance in addition to the social health insurance use more health care services and pay more than those who do not, suggesting insurance effects. This paper, however, cannot distinguish the moral effects of the health insurance from the selection effects due to adverse selection.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.329-335
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• 2007

Objectives : To identify the effects of supplemental private health insurance on health care utilization and expenditure under the mandatory National Health Insurance(NHI) system in Korea. Methods : The data were collected by the National Cancer Center in Korea. Cancer patients who were newly diagnosed with stomach (ICD code, C16), lung(C33-C34), liver (C22), colorectal cancer(C18-C20) or breast(C50) cancer were included as study subjects. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire from face-to-face interviews, the hospital Order Communication System (OCS) and medical records. Clinical, socio-demographic and private health insurance related factors were also gathered. The differences of health care utilization and expenditure were compared between those who have private health insurance and those who do not using t-test and multivariable regression analysis. Results : Individuals with private health insurance spent larger inpatient costs than those without, but no differences were found in utilization in other service such as hospital admissions, hospital days and physician visits. Conclusions : We found that private health insurance exerts a significant effect on the health care expenditure in inpatient service. These study results can provide a rational basis to plan a national health policy regarding private health insurance. Further studies are needed to investigate the impacts of private health insurance on cancer patients' outcomes and survival rates.