Health Policy Manag.
2020 Mar;30(1):120-125. 10.4332/KJHPA.2020.30.1.120.
Unmet Healthcare Needs Status and Trend of Korea in 2018
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Public Health, Yonsei University Graduate School, Seoul, Korea
- 2Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
- 3Armed Forces Medical School, Daejeon, Korea
- 4Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
- 5Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- KMID: 2507292
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.4332/KJHPA.2020.30.1.120
Abstract
- Unmet healthcare needs lead to increased disease severity, increased likelihood of complications, and worse disease prognosis. To examine the latest status of unmet healthcare needs in South Korea, the four different data configured with nationally representative sample of South Korean population were used: the Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNAHANES, 2007–2018), the Community Health Survey (CHS, 2008–2018), the Korea Health Panel Survey (KHP, 2011–2016), and the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS, 2006–2018). The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs were 7.8% (KNHANES, 2018), 8.8% (CHS), and 10.8% (KHP, 2016). Annual percentage change which characterizes trend for the follow-up period was -9.1%, -3.2%, and -6.8%, respectively. The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs due to cost were 1.2% (KNAHANES, 2018), 1.2% (CHS, 2018), 2.5% (KHP, 2016), and 0.5% (KOWEPS, 2018). Annual percentage change which characterizes trend for the follow-up period was -10.3%, -12.0%, -11.3%, and -18.8, respectively. The low-income population and the elderly population were vulnerable groups reporting the highest rate of unmet health care needs. The rate of unmet healthcare needs has been declining since the past decade, still, the disparity between different income groups and age groups suggests that there are many challenges to address.
