• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.203-210
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• 2019

This study analyzed the size and influence factors of annual average health expenditure according to job type. Using data from the Korea Health Panel (2012), the final analysis was conducted on adults aged 20 years or older, excluding the missing data. Data analysis was done by logistic regression analysis to analyze the factors affecting medical expenditure. As a result of the study, Model 1 showed higher expenditure on medical expenses by skilled workers in agriculture and forestry fishery than those in simple labor. Model 2 was analyzed as having a positive effect on the increase of medical expenditure by the simple worker in the sales of the occupation, statistically significant by sex, marriage, income level and chronic disease. Therefore, it would be necessary to establish social security and health care & welfare policies, in order to grasp the disease with a high frequency rate according to occupation status and activate the physical examination and preventive actions.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.399-408
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• 2020

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the regional characteristics on the accessibility of emergency care and the impact of emergency medical accessibility on the patients' prognosis and the emergency medical expenditure. Methods: This study used the 13th beta version 1.6 annual data of Korea Health Panel and the statistics from the Korean Statistical Information Service. The sample included 8,119 patients who visited the emergency centers between year 2013 and 2017. The arrival time, which indicated medical access, was used as dependent variable for multi-level analysis. For ordinal logistic regression and multiple regression, the arrival time was used as independent variable while patients' prognosis and emergency medical expenditure were used as dependent variables. Results: The results for the multi-level analysis in both the individual and regional variables showed that as the number of emergency medical institutions per 100 km² area increased, the time required to reach emergency centers significantly decreased. Ordinal logistic regression and multiple regression results showed that as the arrival time increased, the patients' prognosis significantly worsened and the emergency medical expenses significantly increased. Conclusion: In conclusion, the access to emergency care was affected by regional characteristics and affected patient outcomes and emergency medical expenditure.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.135-154
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• 1998

In Korea, the institutional reform for the national medical insurance system is in process. Eventually, three kinds of the national medical insurance system, i.e., medical insurance program for the industrial workers, the govemment employees and the private school teachers, and the self-employeds, would be merged into an unifed system. In this study, I analyzed the annual trends of the finance in the medical insurance system in Korea, in which I found the financial instability especially in the medical insurance program for the self-employeds. The regression analysis was carried out to forecast the accumulated reserve at the end of this year for the medical insurance program for the self-employeds. I also analyzed the economic effect of the merge of the medical insurance program for the self-employeds by using the case of Japan and Korea. I found that the medical insurance for the self-employeds is expected to have financial deficit at the end of the year 1998 after the merge. In onclusion, it seems to be quite difficult to solve the financial instability in the medical insurance program for the self-employeds after it would be merged. That means that there would be a lot of problems on the way to the merge.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.266-282
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• 1998

We model that separation is a rational decision to resolve the inherent uncertainty about quality form the matching process. In health insurance markets, quality of services is revealed to consumers only after enrollment. Discrepancies between the expected and realizeed quality lead utility-maximizing enrollees to disenroll if they find a better alternative. Accordingly, factors that reduce this discrepancy will decrease disenrollment. The firm-level empirical analysis shows that disenrollment is relatively small in markets where the reputation effect works efficiently becuse consumers can predict the expected quality accurately.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.56-67
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• 2021

There are few domestic studies on medical services in medically vulnerable areas where medical use is not met due to a lack of medical resources. The past studies on smart medicine targeting medically vulnerable areas grasp only the overall satisfaction level, or the sub-dimensions of satisfaction are not classified clearly. Also, it lacks consideration of the patient's needs. This study aims to analyze the effect of users' experience of the smart medicine pilot project conducted in medically vulnerable areas on satisfaction and demand. The user's experience was measured by variables in the dimensions of structure, process, and outcome. Among the pilot project participants, 282 subjects responded to the 2019 survey. Using the hierarchical regression method, we tried to find out the determinants of satisfaction and service demands. Experience factors affecting satisfaction were found to be accessibility, certainty, effectiveness, and efficiency. In addition, it was found that the demand in their 60s was high and that accessibility, certainty, effectiveness, and efficiency had a statistically significant effect on the demand. It is expected that the smart medicine pilot project will be effectively operated by well utilizing the factors influencing satisfaction and demand revealed in this study.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2022

Background: This study was designed to examine regional proportions for people who experienced unmet health care needs due to reduced mobility or unhealthiness and factors associated with experience of unmet health care needs by them. Methods: A total of 11,620 people were retrieved from the Korea Health Panel data (2014-2018). Regional proportions for people who experienced unmet health care needs due to reduced mobility or unhealthiness were estimated using cross-sectional weights and the factors associated with them were analyzed using generalized estimating equation. Results: The number of people who experienced unmet health care needs due to reduced mobility or unhealthiness was estimated as 278,083 in 2018. Women, the aged (65+), below elementary school, single as marital status, low income, bad self-rated health, people with disabilities, and long-term insurance beneficiaries were statistically significantly associated with experience of unmet health care needs due to reduced mobility or unhealthiness. Conclusion: Given high and dispersed demand for visiting health care, government need to expand the infrastructure and finance to facilitate visiting health care.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.180-189
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• 2022

Background: Social support contributes directly and indirectly to maintaining physical, mental, and social well-being. The aim of the study was to identify the impact of social support on self-rated health among Korean industrial accident workers. Methods: This study used data from the panel study of workers' compensation insurance (PSWCI). The final subjects were 2,759 workers who responded to a 2018 to 2020 PSWCI. Social support was defined as social contact with friends, neighbors, family, and social participation activities like religious activity, social activity, and club activity. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate causal relationships between social support and self-rated health using a generalized estimating equation model. Results: Proportion of workers' good self-rated health steadily increased (2018: n=1,447, 63.2%; 2019: n=1,542, 66.2%; 2020: n=1,653, 67.3%). Higher levels of social contacts with friend (worse: reference; same: β=0.442) and higher levels of social activity (yes: reference; no: β=-0.173) were especially associated with good self-rated health. Conclusion: This study confirmed social support positively influenced self-rated health among the self-rated health of industrial injured workers. The results of this study suggested that recovery policies that the government served should include programs enhancing social support for improving health among industrial injured workers.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.149-162
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify differences in characteristics of the people who frequently drink alone between those in old-city regions and those in other regions in Busan, focusing on socio-demographic factors and the level of drinking according to the types of stress. Methods: The analysis confirmed the differences based on Busan Social Statistics Data in 2012, 2014, and 2016. Frequencies by each variable were presented, and ${\chi}^2$ and logistic regression analysis were also used in the analysis. Results: The residents of Busan showed higher odds ratios of "frequent drinking alone" when they felt considerably higher-than-normal levels of stress. In addition, in the residents of old-city regions, the odds ratios of those who frequently drank alone were not different between people who could easily relieve stress, who experienced economic stress, or who had relationship stress and people who did not. However, higher odds ratios of frequently drinking alone were reported when such participants felt some stress related to work, family, relationships, and so on. Conclusions: Interventions for the appropriate relief of stress caused by different reasons, as well as other stress-relieving methods, should be implemented for the people's benefits.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.95-108
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual conditions and operational problems of Health Promotion Model School' in high school. Methods: We conducted a content analysis of 2014 results report and staffs' responses of five high schools among 85 'Health Promotion Model Schools' led by Ministry of Education from 2012 to 2014. Results: The study examined the operational process of health promoting schools in five stages; system development, needs survey & current status survey, school health policy development, program development & execution, and evaluation. Every step was found to be inadequate. In addition, the study discovered three key factors in operating health promoting schools and examined the status of each factor; connection with the curriculum, connection with the community, and consensus among members. Three factors were also applied poorly. Compared to elementary school, high school showed a lack of all respects. Health promoting school staffs have faced difficulties in linking community resources, organizing and operating a working committee, conducting surveys and assessing health problems, preparing self-assessment or external evaluation, and developing strategies and programs. In order to solve the operational problems, active cooperation of all teachers is urgent. Conclusion: 'Health Promotion Model School' conducted in high school is not considered to have faithfully implemented WHO's concept of health promoting school. In the future, incentive policies for health promoting school teachers should be actively reviewed.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.86-89
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• 2019

Catastrophic health expenditure refers to spending more than a certain level of household's income on healthcare expenditure. The aim of this study was to investigate the proportion of households that experienced catastrophic health expenditure between 2006 and 2017 with the National Survey of Tax and Benefit (NaSTaB) and between 2011 to 2016 using Households Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) data. The results of the NaSTaB showed 2.16% of households experienced the catastrophic health expenditure in 2017. In trend analysis, the NaSTaB revealed a statistically significant decreasing trend (annual percentage change [APC] = -2.01, p<0.001) in the proportion of households with the catastrophic health expenditure. On the other hand, the results of the HIES showed 2.92% of households experienced the catastrophic health expenditure in 2016. Also, there was a slightly increasing trend (APC= 1.43, p<0.001). In subgroup analysis, groups with lower income levels were likely to experience catastrophic health expenditure. In conclusion, further public support system is needed to lower experience these healthcare expenditures and monitor the low income group.