Globalization and Health Policy in Korea

Abstract

Globalization provides both opportunities and challenges to health policy in Korea. Through the diffusion of policy innovations, other countries' experience provides important lessons for health care reform in Korea. However, when globalization provides an external pressure toward more competition and market mechanisms without taking into account the unique institutional context of Korea, it becomes a challenge. Recent economic crisis and its impacts on health and health care in Korea is a good example of global pressures. More markets or privatization in the health care system, which vested interest groups strongly support, is likely to result in deteriorating solidarity in Korea, for the role of the public sector is very limitedthe public share of health care financing is less than 50% and the proportion of public hospitals is less than 10%.keywords globalization, health care reform, health policy, Korea, public-private mix A RT I C L E 279Global Social Policy

Poverty in the Midst of Plenty: Unmet Needs and Distribution of Health Care Resources in South Korea

“…Our findings prompt careful consideration of the unique history and evolution of policies which determine the supply of medical resources within the Korean health system. The government, at the introductory stage of health supply policies in 1970–80s, instead of investing in public health care sectors, stimulated the private sectors by providing financial subsidies and administrative supports to meet the people’s health care needs rapidly (at the same time increasing the numbers of medical schools and the entrance quota among private universities) [28], [29], [30]. Spurred utilization of medical services by the national health insurance program introduced in 1977, enabled many physician clinics to have inpatient facilities and hospitals which relied on out-patient services for profit by entrepreneurial physicians [28], [29].…”

A systematic review of the literature comparing the practices of dispensing and non-dispensing doctors

“…There have been global interests in separation of dispensing and prescribing [40,[49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57]. In recent times South Korea introduced a controversial compulsory separation of dispensing from prescribing policy in July 2000 [40,49,50,[58][59][60][61].…”

“…In recent times South Korea introduced a controversial compulsory separation of dispensing from prescribing policy in July 2000 [40,49,50,[58][59][60][61]. This policy ceased all doctors from dispensing any pharmaceutical products to their patients.…”

Institutions and Institutional Purpose: Continuity and Change in East Asian Social Policy

“…Japan was and continues to be for Korea and Taiwan the most important source of social policy diffusion and learning. 18 Second, policy makers have more recently been influenced by policy lessons drawn from multilateral institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In particular, the discourse of "inclusive liberalism" resonated among policy makers after the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, a discourse that "stresses the individual capacity to development and accepts a role for the state in creating conditions for all to develop to their full potential, and the individual's responsibility to take advantage of these opportunities."…”