• 간호행정학회지
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.136-146
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of copayments for doctor visits and prescription drugs on health services utilization in the Type I Medicaid beneficiaries in Korea. Method: This study examined data from the 2007 survey on Health Services Use and Health Status of Medicaid Beneficiaries performed by the Ministry for Health Welfare and Family Affairs. To analyze these sample survey data, the SURVEYFREQ, SURVEYMEANS, and SURVEYREG procedures which incorporate the sample design into the analyses were used. Results: Findings of this study indicate that copayments for doctor visits and prescription drugs of Medicaid Type I beneficiaries have cut overall medical costs. However, although results should be interpreted very carefully because of the relatively low $R^2$, copayments have cut more health services utilization of people who need more health services because of their complex diseases and disability. In addition, besides copayment, several factors are affecting differences in health services utilization before and after copayments implementation. Conclusion: These results highlight the need to examine the effects of copayments more thoroughly according to the kinds of disease, the severity of disease, and the level of copayment.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.73-87
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• 1992

The level of copayment increased in order to stabilize the financial condition of the health insurance on 1986. An important question regarding the policy was whether the increase in the level of copayments reduced the utilization of medical services in the poor selectively. In spite of the importance of the research question, no study has been reported. This study was designed to find out changes in numbers of physician visits, to explain characteristics influencing the difference of utilization before and after the program. Finally the interaction effect between the program and the level of income was examined for the abover question. A total of 10,421 persons from eight institutions was selected as the study sample. Research findings are as follows. 1. The number of physician visits decreased by ten percent as a result of increasing the level of copayment. 2. The decrease was remarkable in some groups such as children, rural area and large family. 3. The most important factor which explained the difference was the number of physician visits before the introduction of the new program. The more numbers of physian visits during the last year were, the more numbers of physian visits decreased after the program. 4. The interaction term between the program and the level of income was statistically significant in the multiple regression model which explained physician visits and its coefficient was negative. It means that an increase in copayment did not reduced the number of physician visits in the poor, selectively. 5. It can be concluded that imposing adequate copayment reduces the use of medical services as well as medical costs without serious damage in access especially for the poor people.

• 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.