• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.296-303
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• 2017

Background: This study purposed to analyze regional factors related to gastric cancer screening rate provided by national cancer screening program in Korea. Methods: The unit of analysis was administrative districts of si gun gu level. Dependent variable was regional gastric cancer screening rate provided by national cancer screening program, and regional variables were selected to represent the regional characteristics such as demographic, health behavior and status, socioeconomic, and health resource. Tobit regression was applied for the analysis. Results: Analysis results showed that gastric cancer screening rate was varied depending on regions from 47.8% to 69.1%. Tobit regression showed that gastric cancer screening rate had negative relationships with smoking rate, financial independence rate, and National Health Insurance premium per capita. And regional gastric cancer screening rate had positive relationships with sex ratio and number of gastric cancer screening center. Conclusion: Regional characteristics should be considered in establishing regional policies for increasing the gastric cancer screening rate.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.37-52
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to provide the valid data about residential-linked pension insurance development. The development was a part of national housing projects, which was an incentive for rural living of retired people, in order to relieve residential issues of elderly and revitalize rural communities by residents moving from cities. The insuring intent, decisive insuring factors and the residential service demand degree of people preparing retirement were analyzed. Data was collected in October, 2007. 364 Sample Subjects lived in Seoul Metropolitan area. Firstly, more than 90% of respondents had intention to purchase a residential-linked pension insurance and about 50% of them necessarily desired receiving premium for moving in. This indicated that it could be developed as an insurance which helped to meet housing expenses by housing-linked system, and in the mean time, it met the original purpose of pension insurance as the pension benefit could be guaranteed for all the insurance subscribers. Secondly, the respondents, whose income and private assets were higher, were able to pay more for insurance compared to average. Therefore, It was necessary to regulate monthly insurance bill and the payment period according to asset states of insurance subscribers after establishing certain amount of total insurance payment. Thirdly, by and large, it indicated the tendency that the less they prepare for older age the later they wanted to move into the pension insurance residence. It was inferred that in the case of insufficient preparation for older age, people preferred preparing behind time by postponing move in to moving in early to enjoy retired life, due to uncertainties. lastly, the respondents understood the significance of health, medical treatment and emergency management service and these two services were preferred as essential provided services. Because of the necessity of developing residential-linked pension insurance was found to be positive, further research to find the real cost, directives for operation and institutional support for this type of pension insurance might be needed.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.435-450
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• 2020

How do Korean people recognize major welfare policies of the Moon Jae-in government? Using a survey of 1,000 adults conducted in December 2018, this study examines what the public thinks about major issues related to welfare policies and what factors are related to variations in their opinions regarding the welfare policies. Results show that the public recognized the roles of government in providing welfare in a positive way. The positive opinion on expanding the coverage of National Health Insurance was the highest. Regarding the resolutions of fiscal problems of the National Pension Plan, there were substantial oppositions to reforms such as insurance premium increase, benefits cut, and increase in the age of receipt of pension benefits. Both efficiency and equality were perceived as important when government makes decision for allocating budgets. Only one-third of respondents agreed Korean government contributed to promoting the happiness of Korean people. Based on these findings, implications for developing welfare policies were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.931-946
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• 2015

Many multiple life insurance products consider benefits that are contingent on the combined survival status of two lives. To value premiums of the insurance products accurately, we need to consider the impact of the survivorship of one life on another. To show a dependence relation between married couple, we calculate correlation coefficients by using married couples data from National Pension Service and the results show some positive dependence between them. Moreover, by analyzing the death after bereavement, we find a evidence that mortality rates increase after the death of a spouse and, in addition, that this phenomenon, the broken-heart syndrome, diminishes over time. The results of this study can support the method to calculate the premium of multiple life insurance reflecting more realistic joint mortality rates.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.1 s.45
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• pp.117-134
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• 1994

The effects of regional medical insurance on utilization of medical care in urban population was examined in this study. The data was collected in a 2-year follow-up household survey conducted at Taegu city before and after implementation of the regional medical insurance. The study population was divided into 2 groups. Cohort I was the uninsured in 1989 and cohort II was the insured in 1989. After the coverage of medical insurance, physician visit rate per 1,000 population, use-disability ratio and use-restricted activity ratio in cohort I were increased compared to cohort II in both of acute and chronically ill people. The use-disability ratio and use-restricted activity ratio of the insured poor were lower than those of the insured nonpoor in both of cohort I and cohort II. The major reasons for pharmacy use were accessibility and affordability before the coverage of medical insurance in cohort I, however, after the coverage of medical insurance, the important reason was accessibility rather than affordability. In logistic regression analysis of physician visit, the significant independent variables were acute illness episode (+), chronic illness episode (+) and income (+) in both of cohort I and cohort II. In cohort I, after the coverage of medical insurance, more people replied that the medical cost of hospital and clinic was reasonable. The people who covered by the regional medical insurance were more dissatisfied with the imposed premium than those who covered by other types of medical insurance in both of cohort I and cohort II. More people in cohort II than cohort I were dissatisfied with the services from hospitals and clinics after implementation of the regional medical insurance. In conclusion. after the coverage of medical insurance, the gap between the poor and the nonpoor still exists in terms of medical care utilization.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.164-170
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• 2015

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets bonded to zirconia surfaces using three different zirconia primers and one silane primer, and subjected to thermocycling. Methods: We designed 10 experimental groups following the surface treatment and thermocycling. The surface was treated with one of the following method: no-primer (NP), Porcelain Conditioner (PC), Z-PRIME Plus (ZP), Monobond Plus (MP) and Zirconia Liner Premium (ZL) (n=20). Then each group was subdivided to non-thermocycled and thermocycled groups (NPT, PC, ZPT, MPT, ZLT) (n=10). Orthodontic brackets were bonded to the specimens using $Transbond^{TM}$ XT Paste and light cured for 15 s at $1,100mW/cm^2$. The SBS was measured at a 1 mm/min crosshead speed. The failure mode was assessed by examination with a stereomicroscope and the amount of bonding resin remaining on the zirconia surface was scored using the modified adhesive remnant index (ARI). Results: The SBS of all experimental groups decreased after thermocycling. Before thermocycling, the SBS was ZL, $ZP{\geq}MP{\geq}PC>NP$ but after thermocycling, the SBS was $ZLT{\geq}MPT{\geq}ZPT>PCT=NPT$ (p > 0.05). For the ARI score, both of the groups lacking primer (NP and NPT) displayed adhesive failure modes, but the groups with zirconia primers (ZP, ZPT, MP, MPT, ZL, and ZLT) were associated with mixed failure modes. Conclusions: Surface treatment with a zirconia primer increases the SBS relative to no-primer or silane primer application between orthodontic brackets and zirconia prostheses.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.51-59
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• 2005

The purpose of the present study is to seek measures to increase the quality of farmers lives by considering the results of a survey on the welfare demand for them when setting up policy. The results are as follows: First, though many concerns and policies to control the rural exodus have been exerted in terms of maintaining agricultural communities, which is one of critical components for the development of Korean agriculture and farming villages, the rural exodus became more and more serious. It is urgently required, therefore, for the Korean administration to correspond actively to the reasons why farmers depart their villages, such as bad prospects, low incomes or problems with their children's education. Second, as the number of females who take part in farming has increased, it is necessary to reform the rural educational environment. In addition, as the agricultural community develops, and other industries flow in, the greater the worries about crime, and consequently, it is necessary to equip a local safety system, share information on job opportunities, and provide educational opportunities. Third, since rural districts nay have financial difficulties because of old-aged and small-sized farmhouse, it is necessary to mainly support the welfare of the aged and lower-income farmers, considering the characteristics of each group and area. Fourth, over half of the farmers responded that they cannot bear to pay the national pension and health insurance premiums, and therefore it should be considered to reduce the pension and premium, or to readjust the insurance value appropriate to the level of the farmer's income. Fifth, despite a number of agricultural policies now in place, farmers desire a policy which can promise a prosperous vision for Korean agriculture and the facilities needed for education and health. It is necessary for the administration to set up policies that are characterized by locality with the view that farmers are not mere recipients, but participants in the policies.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.182-190
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• 2010

We examined the association of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < $10\;{\mu}m$ ($PM_{10}$) with asthma-related hospitalization, stratified by socioeconomic status (SES), among children less than 15 years of age in Seoul, Korea, between 2003 and 2005. In addition, we estimated the reduction in the number of asthma-related hospitalizations that would result from implementing the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline. SES was defined based on data concerning health insurance premium grades, and grouped into two levels: lower-income group and control group. The lower-income group was classified as having an accumulated income which did not exceed the 50th percentile of the median income. Time-series analysis was performed to evaluate the association between $PM_{10}$ and asthma-related hospitalization. The Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program was used to analyze the impact on children's health. Based upon an increase of $10\;{\mu}g/m^3$ of $PM_{10}$, the asthma-related hospitalization risk for the lower-income group was increased by 1.78% (95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.79-2.78%), while the risk for the control group was increased by 0.83% (95% CI = 0.34-1.32%). Attaining the WHO guideline, relative to the concentration in 2007, would result in a reduction in asthma-related hospitalizations of 18 cases per 100,000 of the children population in the lower-income group, and 7 cases in the control group. The health benefits of improved air quality for children in the lower-income group were thus 2.5 times greater than for children in the control group. Our results show that the lower-income group is disproportionately burdened with asthma-related hospitalization arising from air pollution. Therefore, biologically- and socioeconomically-disadvantaged populations should be considered in public health interventions in order to protect the children's health.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.39-57
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• 2021

Purpose - This research uses ocean marine insurance (OMI) statistics, international emails, focus-group interviews, and surveys to fill the gap between the theory of behavioral insurance, particularly status quo bias (SQB), and the practice of OMI in Korea. The contractual forms of OMI, the oldest and most globalized form of commercial insurance, were developed in the UK as the Institute Cargo Clauses in 1906 and revised in 1963, 1982, and 2009. SQB has been academically explored, mostly in health insurance and the financial services sector, but never in OMI. Thanks to the availability of OMI statistics in Korea, we can conduct SQB research here for the first time in this field. Design/methodology - We show the existence of SQB in the OMI of Korea through Korean statistics between 2009 and 2018, email correspondence with experts in the UK, Germany, and Japan, focus-group interviews with Korean OMI underwriters, an in-depth interview with one underwriter, and a survey of 15 OMI insureds (company representatives). Findings - We find that Korean foreign traders rely on the old-type OMI contracts developed in 1963, whereas other industrialized countries use the newest type of OMI contract developed in 2009. With a simple loss ratio analysis during 2009-2018, we show that the behavior of insurers has little to do with rational profit maximization and is instead driven by irrational bias, as they forgo the more profitable contracts provided by the new clauses by keeping the old clauses. The consistent addiction to old types of contracts in the OMI market suggests strong SQB among Korean exporters, importers, bankers, or insurers, which we confirmed in our interviews and survey. Originality/value - This research has significant originality and academic value because it reports new findings with crucial implications for the development of efficient trade practices and policy. First, this research is based on actual statistics that have not been used in previous Korean research on OMI. Second, this research shows that all-risk OMI policies provide more value to insureds, in terms of coverage given premium, than partial coverage policies, which differs from arguments previously made in Korea. Third, this research reveals strong SQB in Korea, where foreign trade plays a pivotal role in economic growth. That bias could be attributable to uninformed traders, informed but idle insurers, or conservative bankers. Fourth, to further develop foreign trade, policy initiatives are needed to review the current practices of OMI contracts and move forward with the new contract forms. All of these findings and arguments are both new and important.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.239-250
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• 2012

In recent years, national health insurance(NHI) coverage had been expanded gradually for cancer as a severe disease requiring high level of medical expenditure, to reduce patient's financial burden. But, subjective burdens level for out-of-pocket(OOP) money expense are still considerable owing to high medical cost and decent numbers of services not covered by benefit plan. This study aimed to investigate OOP medical expenditures and identify factors influencing subjective financial burden in cancer patients. A 28-items questionnaire for self-reporting by responders was designed to satisfy study goal and finalized following by one pilot study and experts' verification process. Subjects were enrolled during July to October 2010 through regular meetings organized by five patient or patient-advocacy groups had acknowledged the study purpose. Subjects who aged 20 or more, have histories of cancer diagnosis and anticancer drug use, and voluntarily agreed to participate in this study were recruited. Total 107 subjects included in the analysis have cancer lesions in breast, colon, kidney, liver or stomach at the stages from I to IV. Approximately 73% of them has passed less than 5 years since cancer diagnosis. For the OOP medical expenditure regarding cancer, less 6 million won was in 31%, 6-15 million won in 35% and more than 15 million won in 28% of responders, and more than half responders(58%) felt financial burden subjectively. 63% of responders had subscribed commercial insurances, resulting in money receipts of more than 10 million won since cancer diagnoses in 76% of responders. Logistic regression results showed significant differences in subjective OOP financial burden level depending on gender, household income level, benefit type, commercial insurance money receipt degree, year cancer diagnosed, cancer lesion, therapy type, duration of anticancer drug use, drug listing in national formulary, total OOP medical expenditure and total OOP anticancer drug expense. They had mixed feelings both wishes to expand NHI coverage to reduce financial burden(70%) and no willingness to increase premium(59%). This result suggested that NHI might direct future strategies to reduce absolute total OOP medical cost and expand benefit plan coverage in higher burden groups in particular.