Public Preferences in Resource Allocation for Insurance Coverage of Dental Implant Service in South Korea: Citizens’ Jury

Abstract

The Korean government sought to include dental implant services for the elderly in the benefits package of the national health insurance. In 2014, the Citizens’ Jury was held to discuss the topic, during which thirty jurors, randomly selected from the 2665 applicants, participated in a day-long deliberation process after having an information session on the topic by a team of experts. There was a substantial shift in opinion during the deliberation session toward a more cost-conscious view. Most jurors supported limiting the coverage of dental implant to only one tooth per individual given the extent of the financial burden that will be imposed on the population. They opposed covering implant services for the front teeth, given that the implant of front teeth generally serves aesthetic purposes rather than restoring mastication function. The government’s final decision in 2014 was to offer coverage up to two teeth, regardless of tooth location. This scheme based on the jury’s recommendations in 2014 has been implemented without policy failure to date, which shows that the lay public can meaningfully contribute to a decision-making process regarding controversial agendas such as benefits packages for expensive health services.

Investigating patients’ preferences for new anti-diabetic drugs to inform public health insurance coverage decisions: a discrete choice experiment in China

“…Incorporating patients' views into healthcare decisions improves patient satisfaction while fostering healthcare services more strongly aligned with their preferences and expectations [22,23]. Previous studies in foreign countries showed successful experiences of integrating patient and public preferences into health insurance coverage decision-making [24][25][26][27]. However, the assumption of homogeneity in preferences across individuals can lead to misleading policy conclusions [28].…”