Cost inflation and resource distribution in the Korean healthcare sector under national insurance.
In 1989, Korea finally implemented a universal national health insurance policy. However, the expansion in coverage has created a number of ongoing problems: a rapid demand-pull inflation in medical costs stimulated by the fee-for-service payment system and an increasing maldistribution of available resources. The author discusses the sources of these problems and provides a taxonomy of possible methods to bring them under control.
George Washington University, Washington, DC.
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Eastaugh
D003363:Cost Control; D005251:Fees, Medical; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000639:trends; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics*; D006295:Health Resources / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007250:Inflation, Economic; D007348:Insurance, Health; D007723:Korea; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms