Analyzing Medical Patterns and Catastrophic Health Expenses in Occupational Injuries Victims in South Korea

Speaker(s)

Cha Y1, Choi M2, Lee J3, Kim KH4
1National Health Insurance Service, seoul, 42, South Korea, 2National Health Insurance Service, Seoul, 42, South Korea, 3National Health Insurance Service, Wonju, 42, South Korea, 4National Health Insurance Service, Wonju, Gangwon province, Korea, Republic of (South)

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the multifaceted characteristics and occurrence rate of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) among occupational injury victims in South Korea depending on government support. Also, the objective is to generate empirical evidence that can inform policy development to improve industrial accident prevention and compensation systems, utilizing the findings obtained through the research.

METHODS: Data was collected by pooling of five years(2014-2018) from 'Korea Health Panel(KHP)', a large-scale nationally representative survey. KHP includes survey items regarding whether individuals have experienced workplace accidents and whether they have received government support for medical expenses. In this study t-tests and ANOVA test were performed for basic analysis of the subjects. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the factors influencing the occurrence of catastrophic medical expenses.

RESULTS: Through the survey, 829(100.0%) occupational injury victims were identified and divided into occupational injury compensation(11.7%) and non-compensation groups(88.3%). Focusing on the key indicators, the comparison revealed that the compensation group had a higher disability rate(20.62%) compared to the non-compensation group(7.65%). Additionally, the proportion of ADL limitations due to musculoskeletal disorders was higher in the compensation group(13.40%) compared to the other group(4.29%). The compensation group had an annual out-of-pocket expenditure of $285.81, while the other group spend $360.86. Additionally, the incidence rate of CHE, indicating the financial burden on households due to medical expenses, was 14.43% in the compensation group and 19.4% in the non-compensation group, below the 20% threshold.

CONCLUSIONS: The study identified differences in characteristics based on government support eligibility among occupational injury victims. The supported group had higher out-of-pocket expenses and a higher incidence of catastrophic health expenditure. Considering these findings, government support should reflect these characteristics. The CHE is influenced by both personal factors and government support. Efforts should be made to ensure that all victims receive government support to reduce their burden.

Code

RWD180

Topic

Methodological & Statistical Research, Real World Data & Information Systems, Study Approaches

Topic Subcategory

Health & Insurance Records Systems, Survey Methods, Surveys & Expert Panels

Disease

No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas