Research from Dongguk University in the Area of Science and Technology Published (Effects of private health insurance on healthcare services during the MERS Pandemic: Evidence from Korea): Science – Science and Technology

2023 DEC 12 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on science and technology have been published. According to news reporting from Seoul, South Korea, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “This study investigates how private health insurance impacted healthcare services during the MERS pandemic in Korea.”

Financial supporters for this research include National Research Foundation of Korea; Ministry of Education.

The news editors obtained a quote from the research from Dongguk University: “Using the Korea Health Panel Study (KHPS), this study examines the difference in healthcare utilization between insured and uninsured individuals during the pandemic. If insured individuals use fewer healthcare services than the uninsured during the MERS pandemic, it could be evidence of moral hazard. During the MERS outbreak, the probability of outpatient medical services utilization was lower by 19 % than during non-pandemic periods. All individuals decreased the number of outpatient visits by 7 %. Insured individuals reduced outpatient visits more than the uninsured in response to the MERS pandemic. The increased outpatient utilization by private health insurance could be attributed to both moral hazard and adverse selection.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “However, given that people with poor health cannot enroll in private health insurance due to the insurance company’s screening process, moral hazard leads to increase healthcare utilization rather than adverse selection.”

For more information on this research see: Effects of private health insurance on healthcare services during the MERS Pandemic: Evidence from Korea. Heliyon, 2023,9(12):e22241. (Heliyon - http://www.heliyon.com). The publisher for Heliyon is Elsevier.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22241.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Jugntaek Lee, Department of Economics, Dongguk University, Seoul, South Korea. Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.