Health Policy Manag.  2015 Dec;25(4):307-322. 10.4332/KJHPA.2015.25.4.307.

A Study on Ex-Health Professional National Assembly Members' Influences on Health Care Policy Making in the National Assembly

• Ryu CU
• Lee JH

• KMID: 2165262
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4332/KJHPA.2015.25.4.307

Abstract

In most democratic countries, influential professional interest groups often become a part of the iron triangle in the policy making process. One of the typical methods by which professional interest groups participate in policy making process is by having interest group members in the national assembly, who is also sympathetic to the group, implement policies through legislation. In this study we found that from the Constitutional National Assembly to the 18th National Assembly, 147 members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea have been former health care professionals. The research analyzed the roles of these members in health care law amendments as requested by the professional organizations. This study analyzed 11 major cases that involved nullification or amendment of legislations in favor of the healthcare profession, against the basic policies of the government. The study showed that in the 11 major cases, policies were amended in the direction intended by the National Assembly members and other organizations with similar interests, which was against the policy stance of the government. However, these cases did not unilaterally imply that the National Assembly has been captured by the interest groups through the legislators with health care professional background; rather, they should be perceived to be influenced by the exhibited loss of governability by the government in respect to healthcare policy decisions, loss of initiative due to lack of controllability, and reversals and inconsistencies of the policies.

Keyword

Health care professionals; National assembly member; Medical Professionalism

MeSH Terms

Delivery of Health Care*
Iron
Jurisprudence
Policy Making*
Public Opinion
Republic of Korea
Societies
Iron