• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.104-122
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• 2010

Long-term care insurance has been introduced in Korea a year ago, and we are in a stage requiring to set principles regarding the generosity of coverage and how to gradually extend the coverage. This study empirically analyzes how the long-term care insurance in Korea is operated. Special attention is given to who is the main beneficiary of the long-term care insurance introduction, and what is the factors influencing the elderly's decision to apply for or use long-term care services. Use of a detailed information of individuals' public health insurance and long-term care insurance from administration data made it possible to control for health status, socioeconomic status including family type, housing tenure, income level. Logit models were employed to analyze the effects of various socioeconomic factors on the likelihood of applying and using long-term care services. Also, this study employed a survey questioning whether to ever willing to take other option as a alternative to residential care or home-care and the level of cash benefit for which they are willing to replace the formal care with informal care. The result indicated that although the poorest elderly population groups are in the greatest need for the long-term care service, they are in difficulty using the service due to economic burden. This implies the copayment amount needs to be adjusted in order for the poor elderly group to be able to get the benefit of the long-term care service.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.617-642
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• 2011

The purpose of our study is to analyze the determinants of the benefits of the long-term care insurance in Korea using 2008 and 2009 cross-sectional data. Per capita long-term care insurance benefits can be divided into home care services utilization rate, institutional care services utilization rate, per capita home care services benefits, and per capita institutional care services benefits, which are used as the dependent variables in our regression analysis. Admission rate and the ratio of the admitted to the applicant also used as the dependent variables. The results of our analysis show that the explanatory variables such as income level, needs for care, family type, access to the services, and regional characteristics are statistically significant to explain the dependent variables, the long-term care insurance benefits. The higher is the regional income and the more of the female residents, the more are the long-term care insurance benefits. The easier is the access to the services, the more are the insurance benefits. In the rural area, the level of the insurance benefits is relatively high. We propose that copayment rates of the long-term care insurance should be examined and monitoring on the over-use of the services should be done. Also preventive services and care by the family member should be expanded.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.148-160
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• 2005

Presented here are policy alternatives for understanding home health care for the long-term health care insurance system which is being developed for elderly people starting 2007. The summary of issues concerning home health nursing care under the long-term care insurance system include; 1) absence of comprehensive and systematic policy in home health care deliverly systems; 2) absence of community based home health agencies that are considered as the community residents in general. In order to overcome these problems and Issues, policy alternatives of home health care should 1) establish a comprehensive home health care policy for homebound persons; 2) establish the foundations for home health care nurses and community based home health care systems; 3) establish home health care facilities and infrastructure; and 4) promote research and development concerning home health care. Conclusively, a home health care system should be built on a comprehensive policy vision based on health policy, especially long-term care insurance system in the near future. Every homebound residents service has to be constructed systematically under suitable facilities considering the consumer characteristics and health conditions. By doing this, the consumer based comprehensive community home health care delivery system can be constructed in view of the long-term health care insurance system for elderly people.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.94-105
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• 2022

Background: As South Korea enters an aged society, the government has emphasized the need for a soft landing of the older adults into the community after the acute and recovery periods under a national policy of "community care." However, the institutionalization of community rehabilitation services to implement this is insufficient. Japan had already entered an aged society when the Long-Term Care Insurance System was introduced in 2000. Thus, the case of Japan's institutionalization of the system is expected to have implications for us in supplementing a suitable system for the aged society. Objects: This study compared the institutionalization process of the Long-Term Care Insurance System in South Korea and Japan and the services currently being implemented in each country. Methods: To examine the institutionalization process and services of the system, related legal rules and regulations, government reports, and articles were reviewed. To examine the operation status of the system, statistical data provided by each country's government were analyzed. Results: Japan recognized the importance of community rehabilitation even before the enactment of Long-Term Care Insurance. Thus, community rehabilitation services, such as home-visit rehabilitation and health facilities, were already stipulated in the law. Under such institutional legacy, Long-Term Care Insurance was able to establish a service system, which balanced welfare and health-related services, including various types of services with enhanced rehabilitation functions. In South Korea, rehabilitation policies were not much considered in the process of institutionalizing the system; thus, it was composed mainly of services focusing on care and recuperation. Conclusion: In order to realize community care, rehabilitation services need to be developed in Long-Term Care Insurance System in various forms such as home-visit services, daily services, short stay, and facility services.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.258-271
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• 2022

The rapidly aging trend of Korea is a major factor that threatens the sustainability of the long-term care insurance system. Therefore, looking at how Japan and Germany mitigated the financial burden when they managed similar long-term care insurance systems will provide important implications for improving the Korean system in the future. The study was conducted using the literature review method, and the "country" was set as a unit for the case analysis. The three countries selected are Korea, Japan, and Germany. Recently in Korea, the insurance premium rates of all subjects have been rapidly rising, which can exacerbate the issue of intergenerational equity. On the other hand, Japan has responded to the aggravating finances for long-term care insurance due to aging by raising coinsurance for selected groups like the wealthy elderly. Germany is selectively raising the insurance premium rates by additionally increasing the premium rate for childless recipients. A more preventive and quality-oriented care service plan can be promoted by referring to the recent changes in Japan and Germany. In addition, a more effective and selective increase in payment burden in Japan and Germany could be considered in response to a recent equity issue in Korea.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.139-167
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• 2009

A new public insurance for long-term care was introduced in July 2008 to provide for the rising demand for long-term care as the population is aging rapidly. The demand for long-term care is expected to rise further because more and more elderly are living alone or in households with only other elderly, such as his/her spouse, without informal care of their adult children. Even when the elderly are living together with their adult children, daughters and daughters in law, once the main informal care-givers, are not available because they choose to become economically active and work more over time. Experiences of countries such as Japan and Germany with similar public long-term care insurance scheme highlight the importance of detailed analysis on the demand for long-term care for the financial stability of the insurance scheme. Countries which had underestimated the demand for long-term care at the time of adopting the scheme went through financial instability of insurance schemes. This study analyzes the determinants of the demand for long-term care using data from the second demonstration project (April 2006~April 2007) of the long-term care insurance scheme for the elderly in Korea. Taking full advantage of detailed data on the long-term care, this paper analyzes the eligibility for the long-term care insurance scheme and its use. According to study results, even when common diseases among the elderly such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, dementia, hypertension, etc. are controlled together with other individual and socioeconomic factors, limitations the elderly are faced with in their twelve activities of daily living significantly affect the eligibility for the Korean Long-term Care Insurance Scheme. This means that limitations in daily living activities are more critical than common diseases among the elderly are to the eligibility for the Korean Long-term Care Insurance Scheme. Bathing and toileting problems have been found to be the most important factor affecting the eligibility for the insurance scheme, followed by eating, dressing and moving around inside the house. Moreover, the choices of whether to use long-term care and which to use between home care and institutional care are found to be significantly influenced by health status and various socioeconomic factors of the elderly. In particular, those with more limitations in daily living activities and the female elderly are more likely to use long-term care and institutional care rather than home care. As for home care users, those living alone or with adult children and those with monthly household income of more than 500,000 won are more likely to use home care. Most importantly, even when the monthly household income of the elderly is controlled, the elderly recipients of the National Basic Living Security, who are not charged for long-term care, are more likely to choose home care. This implies that price as well as income is a critical factor for the decision to use long-term care. Further study on the duration of long-term care use will surely enhance the long-term care policy, when panel data is available for simultaneous analysis of the likelihood of long-term care use and its use duration.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.126-138
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• 2010

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of assistive products usage on activity of daily living for the beneficiary older adults people in Korean long-term care insurance system. The study subjects were divided to assistive products users and non-users among the beneficiary older adults based on Korean long-term care insurance system to compare function improvement of the activity of daily living. Methods : In national wide 12 community elderly care center enrolled the National Health Insurance Corporation, The numbers of 281 beneficiary older adults(long-term care Grade I: 66, Grade II: 58, Grade III: 157) participated in this study. This survey assessment tool for activity of daily living was used the long-term care assessment instrument of the physical functions in the law of Korean long-term care insurance. The function items of Activity of daily living were included in clothing, washing, tooth brushing, bathing, eating, posture converting, stand sitting, move sitting, out of room, using toilet, controlling of stool, controlling of urine, washing hair. According to independence to complete dependence functioning level, remarks pointed 1 to 3 points. The data were analyzed by chi-square, two-way anova using SPSS V. 12.0. Results : The results appeared that the mean score of the functions in activity of daily living of assistive products users was a 27.60, and that of non-users was a 30.66. Assistive products were not effected in Grade I and II recipients, but that effected in Grade III recipients. Conclusion : Preparing for activation of assistive products based Korean long-term care insurance system, the result application as follows is possible. The usage of assistive products could improve the function of daily living activity in older adults. Related to Grade III beneficiary elderly people were improved function in activity of daily living by using assistive products, it is necessary to extend coverage the non-eligible elderly people in Korean long-term care insurance system.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.49-69
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• 2010

The major purpose of this study is to find out relevant factors affecting utilization of Long Term Care Hospitals since the Elderly Long Term Care Insurance System was adopted in Korea. The sample hospitals of this study are 5 long term care hospitals located in 4 big cities and 1 local area. The research data were collected with structured questionnaire from 247 patients and patients' protectors in 5 sample hospitals. Analyzing methods are descriptive statistics, factor analysis and multiple regression with SPSS(version 12.0). Major results of this study are as follows. 1) Utilization and recommendation of patients is affected significantly by the level of hospital facilities (0.043), fee level(0.026), level of staff (0.000), and discomfort of services(0.001). 2) Level of staff is very positively correlated with utilization and recommendation of patients. 3) Discomport of services is very negatively correlated with utilization and recommendation of patients. On the basis of results this study conclude that the management of Long Term Care Hospitals is required conclude to improve the level of staff and facilities and to solve discomport problems of services for patients' marketing. And also more in-depth study on the utilization factors of long term care hospital in Korea is required.

• 한국노년학
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.453-466
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to explore the enlightenment of the Korean long-term care insurance policy on Qingdao's long-term care insurance policy through policy comparison. China and Korea are very similar in terms of cultural background, living habits, and population structure. Therefore, the successful experience of Korean long-term care insurance has great implications for Qingdao even China to build a long-term care insurance system. Through the literature review, this article compares the long-term care insurance policy implemented by Qingdao City and Korea in Gilbert & Terrell's social welfare policy analysis framework. With the comparison this article discusses about the existing problems of the current pilot policy system in Qingdao, such as lack of legislation support and financial independence, assessment standards are not detailed, and human resources are insufficient. The author raises five suggestions to improve Qingdao's long-term care policy as the conclusion of this paper: legislation support, detailed assessment standard, expand categories of benefits, enrich delivery network, optimize financing sources.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.136-160
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• 2005

Before introducing the national long-term care insurance in 2008, the want for long term care service has to be estimated and analysed. This study estimates the demand and analyses what determines the want of long term care service. This study investigated data of 3f6 elderlies, that was collected by age stratified random sampling. The elderies resided in Onyang 4 - dong (urban area) and Dogo-myun (rural area) In the city of Asan. The researchers visited the elderlies and their care giver, and assessed their demand for the long term care service and examined physical, mental, socio-economic status by the assessment tools for Korean Long-Term Care System. $64\%$ of the those who are entitled to be served refuse the long term care service. $26.7\%$ of them wants for home care service and $7.9\%$ want facility care service. It is estimated that the want of home care service are three or four times as much as that of facility care service. The demand for long term care service is 5.155 times higher for those who live in rural area (p=0.000), 3.040 times higher for those who do not have spouse(p=0.057), and 3.356 times higher for the people who is in medicaid than medical insurance(p=0.029). However, income(p=0.782), means(p=0.614), living alone(p=0.223), number of family to live with (p=0.341) and age of the elderly(p=0.420) are not related with the demand of long term care service. The assessment tools for Korean Long-Term Care System for need evaluation of the long term care service can reflect the demand well.(p=0.024) If medical care will cover $80\%$ of total cost, the willingness to pay of the out of pocket money of the people with medical insurance is 67,400 Korean Won(66.77 US$) for the home care service and 182,500 Korean Won(180.78 US$) for the facility care service. There is possibility that long term care demand is still small after Introducing the long term care Insurance due to the care given by family members. When developing service delivery system of long term care insurance, rural area has to be given more consideration than urban area because of the higher demand. The people who do not have spouse or are in medicaid have to be given special consideration as well.