BackgroundKorea is aging faster than any other country as the ‘baby boomers’ grow older. The purpose of this study is to describe the health status and health services utilization of older Koreans and examine the factors that are associated with effective health services utilization.MethodsBased on the 2008 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing which was conducted with Korean men and women aged 45 years or older, descriptive and logistic regression analysis was performed. The sample for this study was 4040 individuals who indicated they were 65 years or older. Bivariate analyses (chi-square tests) were used to examine the differences between men and women. Logistic regression analyses were then used to determine factors significantly associated with health services utilization.ResultsMore women (29.3%) than men (14.5%) rated their health as poor or very poor. A significantly higher number of women than men reported having hypertension, arthritis or heart disease, while a larger number of men reported having cancer or lung problems. Age, education, income, and presence of chronic conditions significantly predicted the residents’ self-rated health. Respondents with chronic conditions were twice as likely to report self-rated poor health (Odds Ratio: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.91-2.67) than residents with no chronic conditions. Those who were more likely to have used primary care services, such as a physician or traditional Korean medicine, included those 80 and older, men, those who had a chronic condition or poor health status, and lower-income individuals.ConclusionsRespondents with poor health status were significantly older, less-educated, poorer and had a higher rate of chronic conditions. Health-related need factors and income were important predictors of Korean elders using physician services and/or traditional Korean medicine. This study provides an important contribution to the knowledge base of Korean elders. The findings show that elders in poor health status were significantly older and poorer, with higher rates of chronic conditions and health services utilization, which should help in the health care planning required to address this issue.

This study examined the extent to which equity in the use of physician services has been achieved in the Republic of Korea. Descriptive and logistic regression analysis was performed examining the relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variables and the relative importance of factors. The results indicate that a universal health insurance system has not yielded a fully equitable distribution of services. Access differences arise from coverage limitation, as well as urban/rural variations in the distributions of providers. The policy options for expansion of coverage should be encouraged to ease the financial burden of out-of-pocket payments on patients and to limit the range of noninsured services. Urban/rural variations in the distributions of providers are caused by the government's "laissez-faire" policy for the private medical sector. To solve this geographic misdistribution, the attention of policy makers is required, with changing of the government's "laissez-faire" policy.

BackgroundLittle is known regarding equity in health care utilization among Koreans since 2008. This study examines the extent to which equity in the use of health care services has been achieved in Korea.MethodsDescriptive and logistic regression analysis was performed. The sample for this study was 17,035 individuals who participated in interviews.ResultsDifferences in need substantially account for the original differences observed between subgroups of Koreans. Need factors were important determinants of Koreans using physician and inpatient hospital services. Having income did not ameliorate the subgroup differences in the use of physician services. Nonetheless, having income remains an important predictor of physician utilization.ConclusionsThe Korean health care system does not yield a fully equitable distribution of physician and inpatient hospital services. Health care reforms in Korea should continue to concentrate on insuring effective universal health care, implying that all population groups with need receive effective coverage.

The present study examines the extent to which equity in the use of physician services for the elderly has been achieved in Incheon, Korea. It is based on the Aday and Andersen Access Framework. The results indicate that a universal health insurance system has not yielded a fully equitable distribution of services. The limitation of benefit coverage as well as high out-of-pocket payment can be a barrier to health care utilization, which results in inequity and differential medical care utilization between subgroups of older adults. Health policy reforms in South Korea must continue to concentrate on extending insurance coverage to the uninsured and establishing a financially separate insurance system for poor older adults. In addition, further research is needed to identify the nonfinancial barriers that persist for certain demographic subgroups, that is, those 80 years and older, men, those who lack a social network, and those who have no religion.

Elderly adults are the demographic most likely to utilize emergency medical services (EMS). This study aimed to examine the difference in EMS utilization in subgroups of the elderly population by assessing the predictors for using EMS. Methods: Using both descriptive and logistic regression analyses, this study analyses data from the 2014 Korean Health Panel Survey (n = 3,175). Results: It was observed that certain predisposing factors such as age, sex, and marital status were significant predictors of EMS utilization. However, differences in EMS need do not fully account for the original differences observed between subgroups of elderly Koreans. While health status and disability were important predictors of elderly Koreans using EMS, place of residence did not account for subgroup differences. Nonetheless, place of residence remained particularly important predictors of EMS utilization for the elderly. Conclusion: Emergency needs and resource availability are 2 main determinants for elderly Koreans using EMS. In addition, it was observed that the demographic subgroup profile of unmarried/divorced/ separated/widowed men who were aged 75 and older was least likely to utilize EMS. Improving their resource availability to meet their EMS needs should be a top priority for national policy making to narrow elderly population subgroup differences.