title: Inequalities in medical care utilization by South Korean cancer patients according to income: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: This study explores income inequalities in the utilization of medical care by cancer patients in South Korea, according to type of medical facilities and survival duration. The five-year retrospective cohort study used data drawn from the Korean Cancer Registry, the National Health Insurance database, and the death database of the Korean National Statistical Office. The sample consisted of 43,433 patients diagnosed with cancer in 1999. The authors found significant quantitative inequalities as a function of income in the patients' utilization of medical care. Cancer patients from the highest income class used inpatient and outpatient care more frequently than did patients from the lowest income class. Those with higher incomes tended to use more inpatient and outpatient services at major tertiary hospitals, which were known as providing better medical care than other types of hospitals and clinics. Moreover, horizontal inequality in cancer-care expenditures favoring those with higher incomes was observed during earlier periods of treatment. In conclusion, income substantially affects the utilization of inpatient and outpatient services, amount of medical expenditures, and type of medical facilities.
authors.affiliation: Pusan National University, South Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Ho
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Sang-Yi
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chul-Woung
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Su Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Baek-Geun
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Hyeung-Keun
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate