• Title/Summary/Keyword: Universal Service Policies

Search Result 24, Processing Time 0.019 seconds

What Can Koreans Learn from the Dutch Experiences in Reforming the Health Insurance System? (한국의료보험제도(韓國醫療保險制度)의 개혁필요성(改革必要性)과 네덜란드의 경험(經驗)이 주는 교훈(敎訓))

  • Kwon, Soon-won;Sunwoo, Duk
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
    • /
    • v.12 no.3
    • /
    • pp.47-69
    • /
    • 1990
  • The measures taken to reform the Dutch health insurance system hold valuable lessons for countries such as Korea, where there has been increased concern regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of the health services provided. The growing literature on comparative health insurance policies suggests that nations can learn from each other. In addition, Korean policymakers have shown great interest in the health insurance systems of foreign countries, particularly in Japan. The development of Korea's health insurance scheme during the past 12 years has made a significant contribution to the increased accessibility of health care services. Although the insurance coverage is universal, the health insurance system today in Korea is by no means a product of systematic and planned efforts. Moreover, it lacks due considerations of insured's needs as well as the long-term objectives of the social security health care system. There are growing gaps in premium burdens and benefits between the rural health insurance program and the employee's health insurance programs. Furthermore, the regional health insurance program is experiencing financial difficulties in spite of the fact that the amount of the government subsidy has been sharply increased in recent years. Under the present payment method solely based on the fee-for-service schedule, both consumers and providers are encouraged to utilize and prescribe more services. The combination of the utilization-inducing reimbursement system and continuous pushes for expanding health insurance has played a crucial role in raising the country's medical bills. Current trends in Korea's health care sector and those anticipated in the near future necessitate changes in the structure and funding of health care. As indicated in the above, there are various shortcomings in this context, the health policy authority in Korea can draw valuable lessons from the Dutch experiences in reforming their health insurance system. The main elements of the Dutch reform measures are a restructuring of the insurance system and a greater role for market forces in the health care system. On this basis a new system will be created which reflects the social nature of health care while at the same time containing sufficient mechanisms to allow the health care sector to operate in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

  • PDF

A Study on the ICAO international aviation safety policy, a change of paradigm and the government response to the direction (ICAO 국제항공안전정책 패러다임의 변화 분석과 우리나라 신국제항공안전정책 검토)

  • Chang, Man-Heui;Hwang, Ho-Won
    • The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
    • /
    • v.28 no.1
    • /
    • pp.73-96
    • /
    • 2013
  • ICAO's Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) was initially launched in January 1995, in response to widespread concerns about the adequacy of aviation safety oversight around the world. The recent reduction in aircraft accidents and effective role that is evaluated on the basis of these results, and in 2013 the existing 'snapshot approach' to 'regular monitoring system (USOAP-Continuous Monitoring Approach)' was converted to. ICAO aviation safety assessment of the state in today's international community 'aviation safety credibility' as objective indicators to judge the enormous impact on the aviation industry, the state is not satisfactory, especially if the results of the evaluation and expansion of code-share airline ban, reduced international air transit passengers, including premium increases business and economic penalties should. In addition, ICAO implementation of the existing laws and regulations(Prescriptive Approach), but based on the Risk-based prevention model, Proactive Approach introduced the concept of aviation safety system, including international aviation safety policy has been to switch paradigms. This new ICAO international aviation safety policy also applies to the Government of the Republic of Korea in line with the aviation safey policies have changed. In particular, the systematic implementation of safety management for the existing laws and regulations in the center of the safety oversight system of risk-based introduction of the concept of proactive safety management, and According to international standards ICAO aviation service providers operate their own Safety Management System was set out in Aviation Law ever. In addition, the aviation safety is at the center of the field of the safety of aircraft operations and maintenance for the promotion is promoting various safety policies. This new paradigm shift in the international aviation safety policy in line with our state in the international community with the most exemplary aviation safety system firmly established itself as a model, the Government will strengthen the competitiveness of our aviation plans to support. To do this, the government, airlines, aviation officials try all the practical effect would be expected.

  • PDF

Effects of Private Insurance on Medical Expenditure (민간의료보험 가입이 의료이용에 미치는 영향)

  • Yun, Hee Suk
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
    • /
    • v.30 no.2
    • /
    • pp.99-128
    • /
    • 2008
  • Nearly all Koreans are insured through National Health Insurance(NHI). While NHI coverage is nearly universal, it is not complete. Coverage is largely limited to minimal level of hospital and physician expenses, and copayments are required in each case. As a result, Korea's public insurance system covers roughly 50% of overall individual health expenditures, and the remaining 50% consists of copayments for basic services, spending on services that are either not covered or poorly covered by the public system. In response to these gaps in the public system, 64% of the Korean population has supplemental private health insurance. Expansion of private health insurance raises negative externality issue. Like public financing schemes in other countries, the Korean system imposes cost-sharing on patients as a strategy for controlling utilization. Because most insurance policies reimburse patients for their out-of-pocket payments, supplemental insurance is likely to negate the impact of the policy, raising both total and public sector health spending. So far, most empirical analysis of supplemental health insurance to date has focused on the US Medigap programme. It is found that those with supplements apparently consume more health care. Two reasons for higher health care consumption by those with supplements suggest themselves. One is the moral hazard effect: by eliminating copayments and deductibles, supplements reduce the marginal price of care and induce additional consumption. The other explanation is that supplements are purchased by those who anticipate high health expenditures - adverse effect. The main issue addressed has been the separation of the moral hazard effect from the adverse selection one. The general conclusion is that the evidence on adverse selection based on observable variables is mixed. This article investigates the extent to which private supplementary insurance affect use of health care services by public health insurance enrollees, using Korean administrative data and private supplements related data collected through all relevant private insurance companies. I applied a multivariate two-part model to analyze the effects of various types of supplements on the likelihood and level of public health insurance spending and estimated marginal effects of supplements. Separate models were estimated for inpatients and outpatients in public insurance spending. The first part of the model estimated the likelihood of positive spending using probit regression, and the second part estimated the log of spending for those with positive spending. Use of a detailed information of individuals' public health insurance from administration data and of private insurance status from insurance companies made it possible to control for health status, the types of supplemental insurance owned by theses individuals, and other factors that explain spending variations across supplemental insurance categories in isolating the effects of supplemental insurance. Data from 2004 to 2006 were used, and this study found that private insurance increased the probability of a physician visit by less than 1 percent and a hospital admission by about 1 percent. However, supplemental insurance was not found to be associated with a bigger health care service utilization. Two-part models of health care utilization and expenditures showed that those without supplemental insurance had higher inpatient and outpatient expenditures than those with supplements, even after controlling for observable differences.

  • PDF

Permanent Preservation and Use of Historical Archives : Preservation Issues Digitization of Historical Collection (역사기록물(Archives)의 항구적인 보존화 이용 : 보존전략과 디지털정보화)

  • Lee, Sang-min
    • The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
    • /
    • no.1
    • /
    • pp.23-76
    • /
    • 2000
  • In this paper, I examined what have been researched and determined about preservation strategy and selection of preservation media in the western archival community. Archivists have primarily been concerned with 'preservation' and 'use' of archival materials worth of being preserved permanently. In the new information era, preservation and use of archival materials were faced with new challenge. Life expectancy of paper records was shortened due to acidification and brittleness of the modem papers. Also emergence of information technology affects the traditional way of preservation and use of archival materials. User expectations are becoming so high technology-oriented and so complicated as to make archivists act like information managers using computer technology rather than traditional archival handicraft. Preservation strategy plays an important role in archival management as well as information management. For a cost-effective management of archives and archival institutions, preservation strategy is a must. The preservation strategy encompasses all aspects of archival preservation process and practices, from selection of archives, appraisal, inventorying, arrangement, description, conservation, microfilming or digitization, archival buildings, and access service. Those archival functions should be considered in their relations to each other to ensure proper preservation of archival materials. In the integrated preservation strategy, 'preservation' and 'use' should be combined and fulfilled without sacrificing the other. Preservation strategy planning is essential to determine the policies of archives to preserve their holdings safe and provide people with a maximum access in most effective ways. Preservation microfilming is to ensure permanent preservation of information held in important archival materials. To do this, a detailed standardization has been developed to guarantee the permanence of microfilm as well as its product quality. Silver gelatin film can last up to 500 years in the optimum storage environment and the most viable option for permanent preservation media. ISO and ANIS developed such standards for the quality of microfilms and microfilming technology. Preservation microfilming guidelines was also developed to ensure effective archival management and picture quality of microfilms. It is essential to assess the need of preservation microfilming. Limit in resources always put a restraint on preservation management. Appraisal (and selection) of what to be preserved was the most important part of preservation microfilming. In addition, microfilms with standard quality can be scanned to produce quality digital images for instant use through internet. As information technology develops, archivists began to utilize information technology to make preservation easier and more economical, and to promote use of archival materials through computer communication network. Digitization was introduced to provide easy and universal access to unique archives, and its large capacity of preserving archival data seems very promising. However, digitization, i.e., transferring images of records to electronic codes, still, needs to be standardized. Digitized data are electronic records, and st present electronic records are very unstable and not to be preserved permanently. Digital media including optical disks materials have not been proved as reliable media for permanent preservation. Due to their chemical coating and physical character using light, they are not stable and can be preserved at best 100 years in the optimum storage environment. Most CD-R can last only 20 years. Furthermore, obsolescence of hardware and software makes hard to reproduce digital images made from earlier versions. Even if when reformatting is possible, the cost of refreshing or upgrading of digital images is very expensive and the very process has to be done at least every five to ten years. No standard for this obsolescence of hardware and software has come into being yet. In short, digital permanence is not a fact, but remains to be uncertain possibility. Archivists must consider in their preservation planning both risk of introducing new technology and promising possibility of new technology at the same time. In planning digitization of historical materials, archivists should incorporate planning for maintaining digitized images and reformatting them in the coming generations of new applications. Without the comprehensive planning, future use of the expensive digital images will become unavailable. And that is a loss of information, and a final failure of both 'preservation' and 'use' of archival materials. As peter Adelstein said, it is wise to be conservative when considerations of conservations are involved.