A report on the Korea Health Panel Survey of 2008

Abstract

-의료비 지출 및 재원 -비급여 등 본인부담관련 통계 생산 -의약품 지출의 통계생산 -민간보험관련 통계생산 -건강수준 및 건강행태

The health care sector has rapidly changed and medical expenses have increased at growing speed. These changes increasingly demand improvement in efficiency, effectiveness and equity from the national health care sector. To achieve such goals, the government has to secure basic statistical data in order to make evidence-based scientific policies. In particular, a database must be built to cover issues such as: 1) scientific data production with respect to medical utilizations and out-of-pocket medical expenses; and 2) complicated and diverse cause-and-effect relationships relating to behaviors of using health care services, health conditions, and health behaviors. A wide variety of survey subjects should be included in panel surveys based on the conceptual framework pursued by the Korea Health Panel. In summary, the survey subjects in this report can be categorized into: 1) demographic and socio-economic characteristics of individuals and health equity; 2) health awareness and behaviors; 3) health levels and restrictions on activities; 4) social capital and network; 5) residential environment; 6) use of health care services; 7) accessibility to and satisfaction with medical services; 8) expenditure level of medical expenses; 9) financial resources for medical expenses; and 10) private health insurance payments. In order to accomplish political objectives in the health care sector, it is imperative to primarily track down pathways relating to complicated and diverse cause-and-effect relationships among medical utilizations & behaviors, health conditions and health behaviors which determine medical expenditures. This is attributable to likelihood of establishing desired policies when phenomena are accurately apprehended and respective determinants are scientifically investigated. In that sense, the Korea Health Panel is expected to play a politically and academically important role and bring about the following effects. First, the panel allows for understanding of dynamic changes - which is impossible with cross-sectional data - enabling cohort analyses (such as effects in a specific period of time and on the specific age group). Second, the panel provides diverse access to health, likely boosting the understanding level of health-related policies. Third, in-depth studies about medical utilizations and expenses should likely lead to comprehension and analyses of dynamic changes with respect to payments for services not covered by the health insurance, medicine and private health insurance of individuals and households.