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KMID : 0613620070270010052
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Health Social Welfare Review
2007 Volume.27 No. 1 p.52 ~ p.80
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Estimation of Social Welfare Loss Due to Small Area Variations in Health Care Utilization
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Shin Hyun-Woong
Ahn Hyeong-Sik
Lee Chung-Sub
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Abstract
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This study looks into small area variations in health care utilization and analyzes determinant factors conventionally known to be responsible for the emergence of such variations. Further, this study explores how much of the variations can be explained by socio-economic factors (e.g., the user factors and the provider factors) and how much is due to the inappropriateness and uncertainties that remain unexplained even when the socio-economic factors are controlled. Also, an attempt is made, following a standardized economic model (Phelps, 1990), to calculate the monetary value of social welfare loss arising from variations in health care utilization in terms of monetary value.
By disease, the pre-standardized coefficient of variation was highest for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 0.6676 and lowest for renal failure at 0.3167. The standardized coefficient of variation was highest for respiratory infection and inflammation at 0.5188 and lowest for cerebrovascular accident at 0.2856. Among the disease fields, the welfare loss was greatest in the case of simple pneumonia and pleuritis at 22.1 billion won, while the rate of loss was highest for hypertension at 39.34% and lowest for malignant neoplasm of gastrointestinal tract at 5.57%. The total spending on the 20 diseases were estimated to be 886.4 billion won, of which 136.6 billion won was thought to be a welfare loss due to unexplainable variation.
This study differs from previous studies not only in that it examines the extent and causes of small area variations in health care utilization but also in that it estimates the welfare loss arising from such variations. This estimation will lay a foundation for setting policy priorities in connection with the cost-effectiveness of reducing variations in health care. Although what methods to use to reduce the variations at what cost and whether they will be effective have not been substantially discussed, the priority-setting per se based on the absolute value or the rate of loss may be a testament to how serious the present situation is. Attention should also be paid to the fact that what welfare loss implies is something that needs to be reduced by redressing not only over-utilization but also under-utilization of health care.
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KEYWORD
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Welfare loss, Small area variation, Health care utilization, Rate of use, Inappropriateness, Uncertainty
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