|
KMID : 0926620170220020058
|
|
Korean Journal of Hospital Management
2017 Volume.22 No. 2 p.58 ~ p.69
|
|
|
The Impacts of Private Health Insurance on Medical Institution Selection: Evidence from Outpatient Service Utilization among Arthritis Patients
|
|
You Chang-Hoon
Kang Sung-Wook
Choi Ji-Heon
Kwon Young-Dae
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
|
Recently, with the increase in the number of private health insurance subscribers, interest in overuse of the medical service is increasing. This study analyzed the impacts of private health insurance (PHI) on medical institution selection in outpatient service utilization among persons with arthritis. In order to control patients` health status, we extracted outpatient episodes with the same disease (KCD6, M13) from Korea Health Panel. The unit of analysis was an outpatient visit with arthritis in 2014 (n=23,363). In the light of insurance coverage, we redefined three type of private health insurance (ex, indemnity, fixed benefit, and non-insured) as a test variable and two type of medical institution (ex, hospital and physician visit) as a dependent variable. We conducted a probit regression analysis to identify the impacts of PHI on medical institution selection controlling for heteroscedasticity. The results of this study showed that the insured with indemnity were more likely to choose hospital departments than clinics (marginal effect=0.0475, p=0.000). The impact of participation of fixed benefit PHI was not as clear as that of indemnity type (marginal effect=0.0162, p=0.047). In conclusion, this study confirmed that PHI, particularly indemnity type has a significant impact on the selection of medical institutions. Healthcare policy makers should consider that PHI not only affects the overall quantitative increase in healthcare utilization, but also influences the selection of medical institutions.
|
|
|
KEYWORD
|
|
|
Private health insurance, Moral hazard, Medical institution selection, Indemnity, Fixed benefit
|
|
|
FullTexts / Linksout information
|
|
|
|
|
|
Listed journal information
|
|
 
|
|