Abstract
Since 2009, the National Health Insurance in Korea (NHI) has been implementing a series of policies to expand the scope of dental benefits. This study reviewed the changes in co-payments and dental use patterns before (2008 to 2012) and after (2013 to 2017) the NHI’s dental health insurance reform. The study used Korea Health Panel data of 7681 households (16,493 household members) from a 10-year period (2008–2017). Dental expenditures and equivalent income using square root of household size were analyzed. Dental services were categorized into 13 types and a concentration index and 95% confidence interval using the delta method was calculated to identify income-related inequalities by a dental service. Dental expenditures and the number of dental services used increased significantly, while the proportion of out-of-pocket spending by the elderly decreased. The expenditure ratio for implant services to total dental expenditures increased substantially in all age groups, but the ratio of expenditures for dentures and fixed bridges decreased relatively. The concentration index of implant services was basically in favor of the rich, but there was no longer a significant bias favoring the better-off after the reforms. The dental health insurance reform in Korea appears to contribute not only to lowering the ratio of out-of-pocket to total dental expenses per episode in the elderly but also to improving the inequality of dental expenses.
Highlights
Dental services were covered at a minimum level in the National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Korea
Among the factors influencing the use of dental care, income has been discussed in various studies
This study examined the trend in spending for each dental service according to income level using the Korea Health Panel and evaluated the effectiveness of policies to expand the coverage of dental insurance by the NHI implemented after 2013 in terms of health inequalities
Summary
Dental services were covered at a minimum level in the National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Korea. The excessive burden of health expenditures acted as an economic barrier to the use of dental care, leading to a gap in dental use among income groups [3]. Service has been continuously promoting policies to expand health insurance coverage to alleviate inequality in dental use according to income level [4]. Among the factors influencing the use of dental care, income has been discussed in various studies. In the low-income class, income served as a factor that prevents receiving dental treatment [8], whereas in the high-income class, perceived barriers such as limited time might act as a barrier to dental care use [9]
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