• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.195-206
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• 2016

Background: Concentration of patients to large hospitals is serious problem in Korea. The purpose of this paper is to propose appropriate policy direction to relieve concentration of patients to large hospitals. It is focused on evaluation of the possibility of family doctor system as a policy alternative to relieve concentration of patients to large hospital by empirically analyzing the effect of usual source of care (USC) on large hospitals medical care use. Methods: Korea Health Panel conducted 2009, 2012, 2013 by KIHASA (Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs) and NHIS (National Health Insurance Service) was used for analysis. For dependent variables, first, the ratio of the amount of using large hospital to total amount of using medical care, and second, the amount of using large hospital are estimated. Independent variables are having an USC and type of USC. Panel analysis was done with above variables. Results: Main results are as follows. First, having an USC increases using large hospital. Second, having a domestic clinic type USC decreases using large hospital and ratio of using large hospital. Third, the effect of domestic clinic type USC is greater in older group, less income group, worse health status group, not having private insurance group, and having chronic disease group. Conclusion: These results show that family doctor program can be a policy alternative to relieve concentration of patients to large hospital. Nonetheless, primary care system in Korea is unsatisfied. It is recommended to reinforce primary care system and family doctor system to relieve concentration of patients to large hospitals.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.238-243
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide baseline data for the assessment of exposure to indium and to prevent adverse health effects among workers engaged in the electronics and related industries in Republic of Korea. Methods: Total (n = 369) and respirable (n = 384) indium concentrations were monitored using personal air sampling in workers at the following 19 workplaces: six sputtering target manufacturing companies, four manufacturing companies of panel displays, two companies engaged in cleaning of sputtering components, two companies dedicated to the cleaning of sputtering target, and five indium recycling companies. Results: The level of exposure to total indium ranged from 0.9 to 609.3 ㎍/m³ for the sputtering target companies; from 0.2 to 2,782.0 ㎍/m³ for the panel display companies and from 0.5 to 2,089.9 ㎍/m³ for the indium recycling companies. The level of exposure to respirable indium was in the range of 0.02 to 448.6 ㎍/m³ for the sputtering target companies; 0.01 to 419.5 ㎍/m³ for the panel display companies; and 0.5 to 436.3 ㎍/m³ for the indium recycling companies. The indium recycling companies had the most samples exceeding the exposure standard for indium, followed by sputtering target companies and panel display companies. Conclusions: The main finding from this exposure assessment is that many workers who handle indium compounds in the electronics industry are exposed to indium levels that exceed the exposure standards for indium. Hence, it is necessary to continuously monitor the indium exposure of this workforce and take measures to reduce its exposure levels.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.291-301
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• 2020

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to investigate several household characteristics related to panel attrition, examining how they may have conditioned the panel data in the Korea Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS). Design/methodology/approach - We studied the cause of the differences in household income between the original panel and the new panel in KOWEPS. Findings - To summarize our findings, whereas it is highly likely that a low-income household or a household without health insurance will remain in the panel, it is highly likely that a high-income household or a household of more than three members will be taken off the panel. Research implications or Originality - The proportion of low-income household tends to decrease over the years, which appears to result from an overall increase in household income. Such changes are reflected in the pattern in which older panels have higher estimates of household income than newer panels.

• Proceedings of the Korea Inteligent Information System Society Conference
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• 2001.01a
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• pp.325-329
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• 2001

This paper tests existence of precautionary saving motive under health uncertainty, using household level panel data from Korea. For this purpose, this paper considers a dynamic health capital model with health uncertainty and derives testable equations for changes in consumption and medical expenditures. Under this framework, households who face future health uncertainty will exhibit precautionary behavior by depressing consumption or increasing investment in health. To test this hypothesis, the paper uses the conditional variance of health as the direct measure of health uncertainty, obtained by estimating a multinomial logit model. Empirical results using the Korean Household Panel Study (KHPS, 1993 - 1997) suggest that Korean elderly households follow the precautionary behavior to insure against future health risk.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.242-253
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• 2014

Background: The low benefit coverage rate of South Korea's health security system causes catastrophic health expenditure. And catastrophic health expenditure can be the cause of the transition to and persistence of poverty. This study was conducted to ascertain the effect of catastrophic health expenditure on the transition to and persistence of poverty, using 6 years of the Korea Welfare Panel Study Data. Methods: This study was conducted among the 22,528 households that participated in the Korea Welfare Panel Study, 2007-2012. Catastrophic health expenditure was defined as equal to or exceeds thresholds (10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) of household's capacity to pay. The effect of catastrophic health expenditure on the transition to and persistence of poverty was ascertained via multivariate logistic regression. Results: Four-point-seven percent to 20.6% of the households are facing catastrophic health expenditure. Rates of the transition to (relative risk [RR], 18.6 to 30.2) and persistence of (RR, 74.8 to 76.0) poverty of households facing catastrophic health expenditure was higher than households not facing catastrophic health expenditure. Even after adjusting the characteristics of the household and the household head, catastrophic health expenditure was found to affect transition to (odds ratio [OR], 2.11 to 3.04) and persistence of (OR, 1.53 to 1.70) poverty. Conclusion: To prevent catastrophic health expenditure and transition to and persistence of poverty resulting from catastrophic health expenditure, the reinforcement of South Korea's health security system including the benefit coverage enhancement is required.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.57-66
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• 2015

Objective : Private health insurance coverage in Korean medicine has been reduced since October 2009 for preventing unnecessary utilization. The aim of this study is to identify how private health insurance coverage reduction affects on the Korean medicine utilization. Method : We analyzed the Korea Health Panel data from 2008 to 2012. Panel negative binominal regression model was used to analyze the relationship between private health insurance coverage reduction and utilization of outpatient service. Panel tobit regression analysis was used to identify the relationship between private health insurance coverage reduction and health expenditure of outpatient service. Results : Private health insurance coverage reduction significantly dropped both utilization and health expenditure of outpatient service by 9%, 9.22% respectively. In addition, therapeutic utilization significantly decreased up to 10%. Conclusion : Private health insurance coverage reduction seems to have an effect to reduce both utilization and the health expenditure of Korean medicine outpatient service. This effect was more noticeable in the therapeutic utilization. Thus, more elaborate policy will be needed to prevent unnecessary utilization of Korean medicine.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2014

Background: Korea is considered to have an integrative health system where both western medicine and Korean (traditional) medicine are officially recognized and provided. Although Korean medicine has been covered by National Health Insurance over 20 years, equity in the utilization of Korean medical care has rarely been examined. Methods: We examined medical care utilization and expenditure of outpatient Korean medicine using panel fixed effects model to remove selection bias. Then we compared it with pooled ordinary least square (OLS) model. This study used Korea Health Panel data, which provides accurate information on out-of-pocket health care payment, including non-covered medical services. Results: Principal findings indicate that the frequency of the utilization of Korean medicine is related with unobservable individual choices different from western medicine, so the panel fixed effect model is appropriate. But pooled OLS model is better fitted for the expenditure of Korean medicine, after controlling for western medical care expenditure. After adjusting for the selection bias, socioeconomic status (income, education) was significantly associated with the expenditure of Korean medicine, but not with the frequency of the utilization of Korean medicine. Conclusion: This study shows that expenditure of Korean medicine utilization is inequitable across socioeconomic groups, which implies that health insurance coverage of Korean medicine is not sufficient.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.247-254
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• 2015

Objectives : The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of foreign and institutional investors in the pharmaceutical industry on R&D investments. Methods : The empirical analysis was done for the years 2009 to 2013 which examined the period after the influence of the financial crisis. Financial statements and comments in general and internal transactions were extracted from the TS-2000 of the Korea Listed Company Association. STATA 12.0 was used as the statistical package for the panel analysis. Results : The results show that the shareholding ratio of foreigner investors turned out to have a statistically significant influence on R&D investment. No statistical significance was found in the shareholding ratio of institutional investors. Conclusions : The findings of this study, which indicate that a higher shareholding ratio of foreigner investors leads to greater R&D investment, indicate that foreign investors directly or indirectly impose pressure on a manager to make R&D investments for the long-term.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.319-329
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• 2015

Objectives: Parental socioeconomic status (SES) exerts a substantial influence on children's health. The purpose of this study was to examine factors determining children's private health insurance (PHI) enrolment and children's healthcare utilization according to PHI coverage. Methods: Korea Health Panel data from 2011 (n=3085) was used to explore the factors determining PHI enrolment in children younger than 15 years of age. A logit model contained health status and SES variables for both children and parents. A fixed effects model identified factors influencing healthcare utilization in children aged 10 years or younger, using 2008 to 2011 panel data (n=9084). Results: The factors determining children's PHI enrolment included children's age and sex and parents' educational status, employment status, and household income quintile. PHI exerted a significant effect on outpatient cost, inpatient cost, and number of admissions. Number of outpatient visits and total length of stay were not affected by PHI status. The interaction between PHI and age group increased outpatient cost significantly. Conclusions: Children's PHI enrolment was influenced by parents' SES, while healthcare utilization was affected by health and disability status. Therefore, the results of this study suggest disparities in healthcare utilization according to PHI enrollment.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.137-146
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate cognitive function decline by socio-demographic and health-related characteristics (health behaviors and health status) using 5th Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging panel data. Methods: The subjects were 4,440 community-dwelling people aged over 57 years. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, χ²-test, and binary logistic regression analysis using SPSS ver. 25.0. Results: The findings revealed that socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, area of residence, educational level, marital status, number of children, number of grand-children) and health-related characteristics (smoking, drinking, regular exercise, weight category by body mass index, hypertension and diabetes mellitus) were factors that influenced cognitive function decline (p<.05). Conclusions: Cognitive function decline was closely related to health behaviors and disease types. Future studies must examine related constructs to accurately determine these relationships among various populations. The present study could be used as a tool for the development and implementation of health promotion and prevention strategies.