学術雑誌論文

本学関連学会

text

大阪大学経済学. 2008, 58(2), p. 23-54

Revisiting the OECD Review of the Korean Health System

英語

text

2008-09

This paper follows up to the recommendations put forward by the OECD in 2003 in a review of the Korean health system, and analyses recent policy developments as well as areas for performance improvement. The Korean health system is characterised by a large role of the private sector in both the delivery and the financing of health services, and by predominant fee? for?service payments of health care providers. Despite significant achievements since the 1970s, such as the establishment of universal coverage in 1989, a relatively low share of GDP devoted to health spending, and unconstrained users’ freedom of provider choice, the Korean health system has faced significant policy challenges since 2000. At the start of the new millennium, difficulties in implementing two ambitious and controversial reforms??the merge of autonomous insurance societies into a single public payer and the separation of the functions of prescribing and dispensing of pharmaceuticals between doctors and pharmacists??were exacerbated by a financial crisis in the National Health Insurance system. More recently, Korea is addressing questions such as, among others: how should the health system respond to a rapidly ageing society; how could prevention be encouraged; how could access to care be preserved given significant out?of?pocket payments by households; what should be the role of private health insurance; what incentives and monitoring mechanisms for quality of care should be adopted; how could financial sustainability be maintained. Although the Korean health system is unique, the problems with which Korean health policy makers are wrestling will be familiar to other OECD countries.

10.18910/22971

22971

Revisiting the OECD Review of the Korean Health System

大阪大学経済学会

英語

2008-09

大阪大学経済学

58

2

23

54

https://hdl.handle.net/11094/22971

10.18910/22971

https://doi.org/10.18910/22971