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KMID : 0904520130330010085
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Health and Medical Sociology
2013 Volume.33 No. 1 p.85 ~ p.107
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Health Care Utilization according to Income class and Subjective Income class : Measurements Based on Korea Health Panel
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Choi Ryoung
Park Jae-Yong
Hwang Byung-Deog
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Abstract
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The study used the ‘2009 annual total data as an analysis material among other raw data of Korea Health Panel collected by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and National Health Insurance Corporation. In order to understand causing factors to the medical use, the multiple regression analysis was conducted with Model 1, 2 and 3 designed to get social stratification factors and health condition factors analyzed even more thoroughly. In terms of the outpatient medical expenses, more money would be spent on the medical service as the perceptions of income class and subjective income class are low, as the age is low, and as the outpatient care and inpatient diagnosis are frequent. Regarding the inpatient medical expenses, more money would be spent as a patient has a spouse, as the patient is not regarded as a business owner, an owner-operator and a paid worker, as the patients get stressed by financial difficulties and lastly as the patient gets diagnosed while in hospital. As the results confirmed, it is good to see how the purposes of the medical security are being satisfied here while more medical uses and more medical expenses spending are conducted by the lower class than the upper class. However, at the same time, the results also argued that subjective health conditions of the lower class are getting worse constantly and that such phenomenon would, in return, increase the paid and unpaid medical benefit rates and others. In order to deal with such problems, a categorical analysis should be conducted not only on the income class, the objective position, but also on the regular life styles and the subjective income class perception that would distinguish one’s own situations from others. Not only that, with results from the categorical analysis, health and medical care system such as health insurance guarantee, medical social security and information delivery system, service and surveillance shall be developed.
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KEYWORD
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income class, subjective income class, health care utilization, medical expenses, Korea Health Panel
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