South Korea's Gap in Healthcare Utilization Based on Income Level Smaller Than in the U.S.
A joint research team from South Korea and the United States recently announced the results of an analysis on the differences in healthcare utilization based on income levels. This study was published in the world-renowned medical journal 'JAMA' and compared how the healthcare systems of the two countries affect the health of their citizens.
According to the study results, the United States showed a tendency for the number of hospital visits to increase as income levels rose. This implies that people with lower incomes are unable to receive sufficient medical services due to economic reasons. On the other hand, South Korea exhibited a unique phenomenon where outpatient utilization rates actually decreased as income levels increased.
Experts analyze that this difference is due to South Korea's national health insurance system. Through the universal health insurance system, anyone in South Korea can use hospitals at a relatively low cost regardless of their income. Thanks to this, even people with lower incomes do not face significant difficulties in seeking medical care when health problems arise.
This study demonstrates that South Korea's healthcare system is effective in reducing health inequality based on income. There is growing interest in how South Korea will maintain and further develop this level of medical accessibility in the future.