• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-31
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• 2016

This paper investigates the cyclical behavior of UI benefit take-up rate, the share of unemployed persons who are eligible for job seekers' allowances(JSA) and actually receive them. Using Korea's Employment Insurance DB, it also identifies the factors linked to the decision to take up job seekers' allowances. The results show that the take-up rate is countercyclical and leads both unemployment rate and Coincident Composite Index cyclical component by 6 months and is positively correlated with replacement rate and benefit duration, suggesting that extending benefit duration and raising benefit level can boost benefit claims to increase take-up rates in Korea.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.1-44
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• 2018

This paper studies the macroeconomic effects of an enhancement in unemployment benefits in Korea. In particular, I quantify the welfare effect of two specific policy chances which have been mainly discussed among policymakers in recent years: increasing wage replacement rates by 10%p and extending maximum benefit durations by one month. To this end, I build and calibrate an overlapping generation model which reflects the heterogeneity of the unemployed and the specificity of the unemployment insurance (UI) system in Korea. The quantitative analysis conducted here shows that extending maximum benefit durations by one month improves social welfare, whereas increasing wage replacement rates by 10%p deteriorates social welfare. Extending maximum benefit durations is applied to potentially all the UI recipients, including unemployed workers whose wage before job loss is relatively low and whose marginal utility is relatively high. However, increasing wage replacement rates is applied to only a small number of UI recipients whose wage before job loss is relatively high, while the increase in the UI premium is passed onto all of the employed. This study suggests that given the current UI system and economic environment in Korea, it is more desirable to extend maximum benefit durations rather than to increase wage replacement rates in terms of social welfare.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.10-17
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• 2022

South Korea is not a wasteland of publicly funded health care-instead, it has a good medical social security system known as the national health insurance (NHI). The NHI of Korea has three unique features; (1) low premiums, low insurance fees, and low coverage; (2) obligatory designation of medical institutions; (3) and allowance of non-benefit services. These features have made hospitals and doctors interested in profit-seeking. However, the commercialization of medical institutions has taken place in both private- and public-established sectors. A basic problem of commercialization is the co-existence of the obligatory designation of medical institutions and non-benefit services. The problem became worse in the Kim Dae-Jung government because it officially permitted non-benefit services. Since 2000, the Korean government has consistently pursued benefit extension policies, but the coverage rates of the NHI have stagnated. In addition, premiums and current medical expenses have markedly increased because policy-makers have emphasized accessibility to the NHI, while ignoring important principles of medical social security such as a needs-based approach and patient-referral system. In order to resolve the commercialization problem, the obligatory designation of medical institutions to the NHI should be changed to a contract system, and non-benefit services should be prohibited at NHI institutions. We must re-establish the patient-referral system via a needs-based approach. We also need to build a primary healthcare system and public health policies. We should make a long-term plan for healthcare reform.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.109-119
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• 2014

In accordance with the government's plan to expand the national health insurance (NHI) coverage for severe diseases such as cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and rare and incurable disease, the diagnostic ultrasound services have been covered by NHI from October 1, 2013. The quality is very important factor in providing diagnostic services because they influence on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of diseases. In particular, equipments and health care providers plays an important role in providing qualitative services. The purpose of this paper is to examine the major feature of ultrasound services covered by health security system and to review quality assurance policies in other countries such as Australia, Japan, the USA, and Canada. In addition, we assessed the implication of those policies. We especially put emphasis on the types and qualifications of healthcare professionals and measures to manage equipments. All countries have reviewed on policies to promote the quality such as educational requirements of professionals or restrictions on the duration of equipment usage. Various measures should be implemented to assure the qualitative ultrasound service.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.37-68
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• 2007

Health insurance has gone far toward solving Korea's health related problems through thirty years. Health Insurance as social security system has a role of national system to secure national health. But there are many problems in health insurance. There is a dispute about many issues, coverage of health security, compulsory appointment of health insurance organization, coverage and level of health insurance benefit, decisionmaking right of health insurance price, examination of health insurance etc. Generally, the opinion for health insurance policy to be leaded by nation sets against the opinion to be leaded by private sector. It is necessary to study politics of law, constitute law and comparative law for rational solving these problems. If desirable setting of health law system can be made, legal system must be set during a long time and be discussed synthetically in different standpoint.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• no.36
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• pp.29-53
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• 2008

Being the most populated country in the world, China's one-child policy is its basic national policy. This basic national policy is implemented together with the Maternity Insurance, which is one of the five main social insurances in the Chinese society. The Maternity Insurance is society's way of recognizing women's contribution towards child- bearing and is of utmost important significance. However, with regard to women who are not living within the city or are not working, not only are they not the target for one-child policy, they are also unable to receive the social benefit from the Maternity Insurance. Among the conditions for payment of the Maternity Insurance is the adherence to the one-child policy. Ultimately, working women living in towns and cities adhering to the one-child policy will have a positive influence on the Maternity Insurance. However this places a restriction on reducing the discrepancies to benefit from the Maternity Insurance. On the contrary, women from the villages and those moving between towns and cities are those who really need the Maternity Insurance and yet are unable to benefit from it. While we improve on the Maternity Insurance to include this group of women, we have to at the same time consider the effect it has on the one-child policy. The reformation of the Maternity Insurance has to embody the principle of a harmonious society. It has to have a certain order in the country's national policies, so as to be included in the economic policies of towns and villages.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.177-194
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• 2009

Korea government has launched long-term care insurance from 2008. However, one of the most important issues, whether or not providing cash benefit, is still unresolved. In this paper, in order to provide policy guidelines for the long-term care insurance, I attempt to estimate the Willingness-To-Accept (WTA) of the cash subsidy for informal care by using Double Bounded Dichotomous Choice method, a branch of Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). In doing so, I also estimated the determinants of the preference for cash benefit. Data were obtained from face-to-face survey interviews with 300 informal care-givers at three major general hospitals in Seoul, Korea. The questionnaire was constructed with two scenarios (mild/severe symptom). The results from logistic regression analyses and the estimation of WTA indicate that informal care-givers are willing to accept the cash benefit as low as 628 thousands won for mild fragile elderly and 1,072 thousands won for severe fragile elderly. The strength of this paper is that I estimated the WTA of the cash benefit by reflecting the changes in preferences of informal care-givers. The analytic results from the this paper suggest that the cash benefit in long-term care insurance is indispensible in achieving the goal of the long-term care system.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.27-35
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• 2016

Purpose - The primary objective of this study is to investigate the impact of employee characteristics on employees' preference towards corporate pension products. This study can provide a guidance for maximization of benefits for employees and their affiliated corporation. Employee characteristics include average length of labour, wage system of annual salary, age, types of interest rates and size of corporation. Existing research generally concentrate on vitalizations of corporate pension product raising an imperfection, improvements, tax benefit analysis and legal consideration. Thus, this study intensively analyses the effect of employee attributes on firms' decision for corporate pension products, such as DB(defined benefit) and DC(defined contribution) type. Research design, data, and methodology - The data were collected using self-administrated questionnaire survey on corporate pension products from CEOs or HR directors 250 foreign-invested companies', purchasing pension plans in practice with domestic financial trustees (insurance companies, banks and security companies). Hypotheses testing was conducted using Logistic Regression analysis with SPSS/PC+ 21.0. Results - The findings of the study are as follows. Employees with the long length of labour are more likely to have DB plan; more likely to prefer DC plan with the dividend distribution product regarding the types of interest rate. SMEs(less than 100 employees) are more likely to select DC plan whereas high fluctuation in wage with annual salary has no impacts. In addition, the ages has no significant effect on the preference. Conclusions - This study has examined with the empirical testing that employees' variable attributes and qualities are one of the vital factors for corporation pension plan selection. Currently, majority employees are highly likely to join DB plan and Defined interest types. Corporation with less than 10 employees prefer IRP scheme while most of corporation are intended to join DC plan. In a very near future, corporation more than 300 employees will be required to purchase mandatory plan under national regulation. For maximization of employees' contentment to corporation pension insurance and for complementing the flaws of existing plans, the future studies shall also research in a perspective of employee benefit.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.36-50
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• 2009

Korean Government had performed three pilot programs to introduce the long term care insurance system. Persons aged 65 or older who are dependent on others for daily living could use long term care services in the pilot program. The long-term care insurance covered nursing home services, home care services and cash benefits. The cash benefits are included that for elderly at home and for patients in geriatric hospital. This study investigated whether there had been any change in the medical care utilization according to cash benefits for geriatric hospitalization. This study used National Health Insurance claims and Long term Care Insurance claims 2003 through 2006. Data were composed of subjects who undertook both insurance coverage. The subjects was divided into two groups. Case group included participants with the cash benefits of geriatric hospitalization. Control group included persons without the cash benefits selected by random sampling according to the distribution of case group. This study showed that the amount of medical care utilization of the case group is more significantly increased than the control group after adjusted their health condition and functional condition. This result will be helpful for making decisions on whether the cash benefit of geriatric hospitalization can be introduced into long term care insurance system.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1-26
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• 2010

We achieved both industrialization and democratization during the shortest period in the world. We also achieved good performance in national health insurance: universal coverage, solidarity in financing, equitable access of health care. However, national health insurance system has faced the problem of sustainability: various expenditure and financing problems. The problem of sustainablity has two facets of economic sustainability and fiscal sustainability. Economic sustainability refers to growth in health spending as a proportion of gross domestic product(GDP). Rapid increasing rate of health spending exceeds the growth rate of domestic product. Growth in health spending is more likely to threaten other areas of economic activity. Concern on fiscal sustainability relates to revenue and expenditure on health care. Health care financing face demographic and technical obstacles. Democratic obstacle is aging problem. Technical obstacle is collection of contribution. Expenditure of health care has various problems in benefit structure and efficiency of health care system. In this article, I suggest several policy reforms to enhance sustainability: generating additional revenue from value added tax, changing method of levying contribution, increasing efficiency of health care system by introducing the competition principle. restructuring of benefit scheme of health insurance. contracting with health care institutions to provide health care services.