The 2024 Outlook for Health Care Policy

Abstract

In the year 2024, with Korea on the verge of becoming a super-aged society, concerns are growing over the financial strain resulting from the increase in the elderly population and the widening health disparities due to the economic crisis following COVID-19. Simultaneously, the aging population and the rise of chronic diseases will increase social demands for integrated management of health, medical care, and caregiving at the community level. As a key policy to protect the low-income population in the short term and enhance the sustainability of the future healthcare system in the long term, it is imperative to advance 'Innovation in Primary Healthcare at the Community Level.' In the healthcare policy landscape in these times of a growing aging population, innovation in primary healthcare is no longer a task that can be postponed. Reflecting national tasks and the outlook of the healthcare environment, the following specific tasks need to be pursued collaboratively: ① Development and pilot operation of a value-based payment model for primary healthcare targeting local residents, ② Systematic integration and expansion of financial support systems for medical expenses, ③ Restructuring the quality assessment framework for healthcare in the health insurance system, and ④ Proposing innovation promotion through digital transformation. These tasks, as they serve as the foundation for various other policy initiatives and all facilitate innovation in primary care, should be pursued with consideration of their mutual interdependence and scalability to the entire healthcare system.