Issues and Challenges in Health Care Laws in Korea

Abstract

As people’s longevity lengthens and their living standards rise, health becomes an area of ever-increasing attention. Health care affects people’s lives and safety, directly or indirectly, exerting an enormous impact on society as a whole. The health care sector is where there is widespread information asymmetry that makes it difficult for consumers to make rational choices. It is where various interest groups are often in conflict over the scope of their respective activities. In these circumstances, the number of laws concerning health care is on the persistent increase, with consumerism gaining strength. Keeping in pace with such changes, the focus of national health policy has been shifted from curative care to lifelong health promotion, and health care laws have been revised accordingly. This study is a pilot examination of laws concerning health care in Korea. First, the authors took an overview of the general features of health care laws, how they are designed, implemented, and revised. We also reviewed health care laws in terms of a range of different components that make up Korea’s health care sector. This study identified and examined current health care issues from the perspective of laws in an attempt to provide a source of reference materials that can be used in policymaking and revisions of relevant laws in the future. The issues reviewed here include conflict between health professional groups, the separation of prescribing and drug dispensing, national health promotion, regulations on tobacco businesses, regulations on health management services, public health care, and for-profit medical corporations. The authors suggested how health care laws, based on a clear plan for health care advancement, should be revised to ensure consistency in health care policies and increased convenience for people.