Studies from Catholic University of Korea Have Provided New Information about Health Insurance (Association between supplementary private health…

Studies from Catholic University of Korea Have Provided New Information about Health Insurance (Association between supplementary private health insurance and visits to physician offices versus hospital outpatient departments among adults with ...)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- A new study on Health Insurance is now available. According to news reporting originating from Seoul, South Korea, by VerticalNews correspondents, research stated, "Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease with a high prevalence across the world as well as in South Korea. Most cases of diabetes can be adequately managed at physician offices, but many diabetes patients receive outpatient care at hospitals."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the Catholic University of Korea, "This study examines the relationship between supplementary private health insurance (SPHI) ownership and the use of hospitals among diabetes outpatients within the universal public health insurance scheme. Data from the 2011 Korea Health Panel, a nationally representative sample of Korean individuals, was used. For the study, 6,379 visits for diabetes care were selected while controlling for clustered errors. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine determinants of hospital outpatient services. This study demonstrated that the variables of self-rated health status, comorbidity, unmet need, and alcohol consumption significantly correlated with the choice to use a hospital services. Patients with SPHI were more likely to use medical services at hospitals by 1.71 times (95% CI 1.068-2.740, p=0.026) compared to patients without SPHI. It was confirmed that diabetic patients insured by SPHI had more use of hospital services than those who were not insured."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "People insured by SPHI seem to be more likely to use hospital services because SPHI lightens the economic burden of care."

For more information on this research see: Association between supplementary private health insurance and visits to physician offices versus hospital outpatient departments among adults with diabetes in the universal public insurance system. Plos One, 2018;13(4):e0192205. (Public Library of Science - www.plos.org; Plos One - www.plosone.org)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting C.H. You, Graduate School of Healthcare Management and Policy, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea. Additional authors for this research include J.H. Choi, S. Kang, E.H. Oh and Y.D Kwon.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192205. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Asia, Seoul, Hospitals, South Korea, Health Insurance, Health and Medicine.

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