The Impact of Public Transfer Income on Catastrophic Health Expenditures for Households With Disabilities in Korea
Objectives Previous studies have reported that people with disabilities are more likely to be impoverished and affected by excessive medical costs than people without disabilities. Public transfer income (PTI) reduces financial strain in low-income households. This study examined the impact of PTI o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Korean Society for Preventive Medicine
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://jpmph.org/upload/pdf/jpmph-22-183.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797845584320659456 |
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| author | Eun Jee Chang Sanggu Kang Yeri Jeong Sungchan Kang Su Jin Kang |
| author_facet | Eun Jee Chang Sanggu Kang Yeri Jeong Sungchan Kang Su Jin Kang |
| author_sort | Eun Jee Chang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Previous studies have reported that people with disabilities are more likely to be impoverished and affected by excessive medical costs than people without disabilities. Public transfer income (PTI) reduces financial strain in low-income households. This study examined the impact of PTI on catastrophic health expenditures (CHE), focusing on low-income households and households with Medical Aid beneficiaries that contained people with disabilities. Methods We constructed a panel dataset by extracting data on registered households with disabilities from the Korea Welfare Panel Study 2012-2019. We then used a generalized estimating equation model to estimate the impacts of PTI on CHE. A subgroup analysis was carried out to assess the moderating effects of family income levels and health insurance types. Results As PTI increased, the odds ratio (OR) of CHE in households that contained people with disabilities decreased significantly (OR, 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89 to 0.94; p<0.001). In particular, PTI effectively reduced the likelihood of CHE for low-income households (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.89; p<0.001) and those who received medical benefits (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.89; p<0.001). Conclusions This study highlights the positive effect of PTI on decreasing CHE. Household income and the health insurance type were significant effect modifiers, but economic barriers seemed to persist among low-income households with non-Medical Aid beneficiaries. Federal policies or programs should consider increasing the total amount of PTI targeting low-income households with disabilities that are not covered by the Medical Aid program. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:41:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-136a6f77bbbb4c36aa7cc50b5591a3b3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1975-8375 2233-4521 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:41:22Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Korean Society for Preventive Medicine |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-136a6f77bbbb4c36aa7cc50b5591a3b32023-04-17T04:20:23ZengKorean Society for Preventive MedicineJournal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health1975-83752233-45212023-01-01561677610.3961/jpmph.22.1832265The Impact of Public Transfer Income on Catastrophic Health Expenditures for Households With Disabilities in KoreaEun Jee Chang0Sanggu Kang1Yeri Jeong2Sungchan Kang3Su Jin Kang4 Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul, KoreaObjectives Previous studies have reported that people with disabilities are more likely to be impoverished and affected by excessive medical costs than people without disabilities. Public transfer income (PTI) reduces financial strain in low-income households. This study examined the impact of PTI on catastrophic health expenditures (CHE), focusing on low-income households and households with Medical Aid beneficiaries that contained people with disabilities. Methods We constructed a panel dataset by extracting data on registered households with disabilities from the Korea Welfare Panel Study 2012-2019. We then used a generalized estimating equation model to estimate the impacts of PTI on CHE. A subgroup analysis was carried out to assess the moderating effects of family income levels and health insurance types. Results As PTI increased, the odds ratio (OR) of CHE in households that contained people with disabilities decreased significantly (OR, 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89 to 0.94; p<0.001). In particular, PTI effectively reduced the likelihood of CHE for low-income households (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.89; p<0.001) and those who received medical benefits (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.89; p<0.001). Conclusions This study highlights the positive effect of PTI on decreasing CHE. Household income and the health insurance type were significant effect modifiers, but economic barriers seemed to persist among low-income households with non-Medical Aid beneficiaries. Federal policies or programs should consider increasing the total amount of PTI targeting low-income households with disabilities that are not covered by the Medical Aid program.http://jpmph.org/upload/pdf/jpmph-22-183.pdfpublic assistancehealth expendituredisabled people |
| spellingShingle | Eun Jee Chang Sanggu Kang Yeri Jeong Sungchan Kang Su Jin Kang The Impact of Public Transfer Income on Catastrophic Health Expenditures for Households With Disabilities in Korea Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health public assistance health expenditure disabled people |
| title | The Impact of Public Transfer Income on Catastrophic Health Expenditures for Households With Disabilities in Korea |
| title_full | The Impact of Public Transfer Income on Catastrophic Health Expenditures for Households With Disabilities in Korea |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of Public Transfer Income on Catastrophic Health Expenditures for Households With Disabilities in Korea |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of Public Transfer Income on Catastrophic Health Expenditures for Households With Disabilities in Korea |
| title_short | The Impact of Public Transfer Income on Catastrophic Health Expenditures for Households With Disabilities in Korea |
| title_sort | impact of public transfer income on catastrophic health expenditures for households with disabilities in korea |
| topic | public assistance health expenditure disabled people |
| url | http://jpmph.org/upload/pdf/jpmph-22-183.pdf |
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