• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.277-286
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between the health insurance perception level and health insurance satisfaction for national health insurance subscriber. The collected data were analyzed by $X^2$-test, t-test, ANOVA using the SPSS/WIN (ver.14.0). Research results can be summarized as follows. The relationship between the health insurance perception level and health insurance satisfaction was relatively high. The study showed significantly high levels in the score of health insurance satisfactions according to perception of security level, health insurance premium, positive thinking, and fair in premium charge. Also health insurance satisfaction scores were significantly low levels according to perception of raise health insurance premium and burden on households. This study investigated the relationship between the detail perception and satisfaction for national health insurance. Therefore, we are setting the overall direction of national health insurance perception, and look forward to utilizing the basis data as help to improve the system of health insurance for people.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.387-391
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• 2007

Fibrosing mediastinitis is a rare disease that is characterized by the proliferation of dense fibrous tissue of the mediastinum. The pathogenesis of fibrosing mediastinitis is unknown in most cases. However, histoplasmosis, tuberculosis, autoimmune disease, radiation therapy, and other idiopathic fibroinflammatory diseases have been implicated in some cases. Most clinical features are related to an obstruction or compression of the mediastinal structure. Fibrosing mediastinitis is often progressive and occurs diffusely throughout the mediastinum. We encountered a case of fibrosing mediastinitis of a very focal lesion without evidence of mediastinal involvement. The condition was confirmed by biopsy and graft bypass surgery was performed because of SVC syndrome.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2007

Objectives : To identify the effects of supplemental private health insurance on health care utilization and expenditure under the mandatory National Health Insurance(NHI) system in Korea. Methods : The data were collected by the National Cancer Center in Korea. Cancer patients who were newly diagnosed with stomach (ICD code, C16), lung(C33-C34), liver (C22), colorectal cancer(C18-C20) or breast(C50) cancer were included as study subjects. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire from face-to-face interviews, the hospital Order Communication System (OCS) and medical records. Clinical, socio-demographic and private health insurance related factors were also gathered. The differences of health care utilization and expenditure were compared between those who have private health insurance and those who do not using t-test and multivariable regression analysis. Results : Individuals with private health insurance spent larger inpatient costs than those without, but no differences were found in utilization in other service such as hospital admissions, hospital days and physician visits. Conclusions : We found that private health insurance exerts a significant effect on the health care expenditure in inpatient service. These study results can provide a rational basis to plan a national health policy regarding private health insurance. Further studies are needed to investigate the impacts of private health insurance on cancer patients' outcomes and survival rates.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.460-466
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• 2020

Background: The purpose of this study is to analyze whether there is a change in patterns of medical use among those likely to be converted their health insurance qualifications when the family support rule is alleviated. There is no empirical analysis that converting health insurance qualification will affect the increase in medical use. Methods: For analysis, data were extracted from the national health insurance eligibility and medical care database. To identify analysis targets similar to that of medical aids' characteristics among health insurance coverage, we compared income, property level, and medical use patterns through basic statistical analysis and used a difference-in-difference (DID) analysis to estimate the net effect of changes in medical use following the change of qualifications. Results: The main results are as follows. The results show that those who are under the 5% income group (1st income group) of health insurance coverage are the most similar to the medical aids group. DID analysis shows that changes in the medical use of people who maintain their national insurance qualification and who are not. As a results, the number of hospitalized days of converting group was reduced by 3.5 days while outpatient days were increased by 1.8 days. Conclusion: As a result, there was not much difference in the patterns of medical use for the under 5% income group who are likely to be eligible for expanded medical aids when the family support rule is alleviated. In addition, more than 30% of them are in arrears with their health insurance premiums, causing inconvenience in using medical services. These findings suggest the need of abolishing the criteria obligated to support family, and great efforts should be made to contribute to non-paid poor and remove their medical blind spot.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.327-342
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognition of denture fabrication activities and its cost in National Health Insurance for elderly denture. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 41 dental laboratories' owner who was research subjects of HIRA(Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service)'s policy research for elderly denture in 2011. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics of the subjects, dental technicians' knowledge of national health insurance coverage of elderly denture, job-related changes after national health insurance coverage of elderly denture including validity of denture fabrication activity classification and the cost for each service. Each question was measured by Likert 5 point scale or frequency. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 16.0. Results: Most of the research subjects had been fabricating national health insurance coverage denture(92.7%), also had ample knowledge of national health insurance coverage denture for elderly. Job-related changes after national health insurance coverage of elderly denture revealed marginal differences in the quality. The validity of fabrication activity classification of resin based complete denture was $3.71{\pm}1.023$ by Likert 5 point scale. Conclusion: The goal of national health insurance for elderly denture is to promote elderly's health and well-being. To fabricate denture is a very important part of the denture treatment. For this reason, denture fabrication activity classification and the cost analysis plan should be duly reflected in the policy of national health insurance for elderly denture.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.248-257
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the relationships of types of dental insurance coverage in Korea with sociodemographic characteristics and the prevalence of systemic and oral diseases, as well as to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of Korean dental insurance policies. Methods: Sample cohort data from 2006 to 2015 were obtained from the National Health Insurance Service. Patients were divided into 2 groups. The exposed group comprised patients who received insurance benefits for complete dentures, removable partial dentures, and implant care, while the control group comprised patients who did not receive these benefits. The type of insurance coverage and the prevalence of systemic and oral diseases were compared between the 2 groups. Results: Patients who received benefits in the form of complete dentures, removable partial dentures, and implants had similar sociodemographic characteristics in terms of sex, age, income quintile, and type of insurance coverage to the control group. The prevalence of hypertension, anemia, renal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, and cerebral infarction was higher in the exposed group than in the control group (P<0.05). The prevalence of periodontal diseases and dental caries was also higher in the exposed group. Conclusions: Korean dental health insurance policy has been beneficial for the medical expenses of low-income and elderly people suffering from a cost burden due to systemic diseases. However, since there is a tendency to avoid invasive interventions in older patients due to the high risk of systemic diseases, insurance coverage of dentures may be more helpful from a socioeconomic perspective than coverage of dental implant treatments.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.210-216
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• 2018

National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) has put a great effort on extending life expectancy, for last 40 years. The system has also made remarkable outcomes in achieving universal health coverage. However, it is facing challenges of low health insurance benefits and sustainability risk due to low birth rate and aging society at the same time. To overcome the difficulties and build a lifelong health security system for the nation, it is required for NHIS to make multilateral changes in its roles. Based on the quantitative growth achieved so far, NHIS needs to strive for the growth in quality by not only increasing coverage and reforming contribution imposition system, but also reorganizing the relevant systems such as lifelong health management support, rational adjustment to the medical fee, and benefit costs monitoring. In addition, it's important for NHIS to restructure the organizational culture by having specialty and communicating with people for high quality of administration and health insurance sustainability.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.325-337
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• 2023

Background: While there are many studies estimating the effects of private health insurance on various types of health care utilization, few have examined how such effects change in conjunction with important policy reforms in national health insurance (NHI). This study examined how the effect of private health insurance (supplemental and fixed cash benefit) on high-cost outpatient imaging test utilization changed following the expansion of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coverage in 2018, which is a key example of the NHI benefit expansion policy in recent years. Methods: Data from the 2017 and 2019 Korea Health Panel Survey, which contained information about healthcare utilization before and after the expansion of MRI coverage in 2018, were used. The incremental effect of private health insurance on high-cost outpatient imaging test utilization for each period were quantified and compared, with special attention given to the type of private health insurance. Results: While people with supplemental private health insurance were more likely to use high-cost outpatient imaging tests than those without, both before and after the expansion of MRI coverage, the incremental effect increased from 1.6% points in 2017 to 2.5% points in 2019. Conclusion: Benefit expansion in NHI does not necessarily reduce disparities in the use of health care between private health insurance subscribers and non-subscribers. The results of our study also suggest that the path through which private health insurance affects healthcare utilization may not be limited to the price mechanism alone but can be more complex.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.364-373
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• 2021

Background: This study aims to examine the regressiveness of national health insurance (NHI) premium burdens for local subscribers. The government has established a restructuring of health insurance contributions in 2017. Therefore, insurance premium reform began in 2018 and the second national health insurance premium reform will be carried out in 2022. We will analyze local subscribers before and after the policy reform of 2018. Methods: This study used data from 'local premium imposition elements' in the health insurance statistics annual reports (2017-2019) on National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). This study was calculated contribution rates according to levels of income and property for local insured by the method of comparing. Simulations of primary and secondary reforms were conducted in the study to determine regressiveness. Results: Insurance premiums for local subscribers were analyzed separately by income and property insurance premiums. In the income premium analysis, the higher the income, the lower the premium rate, and then the fixed rate was maintained from a certain section. The regressiveness of income insurance premiums has been eased in part. On the other hand, the property insurance premium burden was found to be regressive still by income class. Conclusion: Regressiveness analysis showed that a decrease in income contributions was achieved to local insured in the first phase of reform. But in the second phase of reform, more consideration should be given to reductions of property premium portions of local subscribers. Based on the results, the author suggested policy discussions to reorganizing the new systems of NHI contribution of local Insured.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.73-94
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• 2006

This study was carried out to show how the Analytic Hierarchy Process technique could be used in setting the priority among selected diseases to increase the range of health insurance benefit. Thirty experts, including doctors (group1), experts for preventive medicine or public health(group2), and representatives of the insured(group 3), participated in the study panel that is conducted for priority setting. They were asked to evaluate the priorities among 6 selected criteria and then 42 selected diseases. The results were as follows; First, representatives of the insured think that the magnitude of out-of-pocket payment should have high priority while doctors think that effectiveness of treatment should have high priority. Second, all experts think that catastrophic diseases such as malignant neoplasm, major heart disease, and cerebral vascular disease should have high priority in health insurance coverage even though there is little difference among groups. These results can be useful to establish a systematic strategy for expanding health insurance benefit package.