South Korea has topped a 15-nation league table in terms of improvements made to its healthcare system over the last five years, while Spain's health service is the least-improved, according to new consumer research.
Generally, patients and the public in all 15 nations believe that overall access to their healthcare systems, their experiences and the systems' components are better now than they were five years ago, according the new International Healthcare Report Card released by Ipsos on behalf of Reuters News. However, the study also finds distinct differences in terms of the countries and the elements assessed.
The nations showing the greatest improvements in healthcare provision over the last five years are South Korea, Argentina, Japan and Belgium, while Spain, Hungary, Italy and France are floundering, it says.
http://pharmatimes.com/Article/13-06-21/S_Korea_tops_global_healthcare_improvement_table_Spain_comes_last.aspxAnd what been happening to its healthcare system? Why, a conversion to single payer:
The Republic of Korea has a National Health Insurance (NHI) system
that provides health care benefits to the population. The Ministry for Health,
Welfare, and Family Affairs (MIHWFA) plays a supervisory role, while the
National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC), as the single insurer, has
responsibility for managing the NHI system. The Health Insurance Review
and Assessment Service (HIRA) reviews the cost of health care benefits
and evaluates the reasonableness of the health care services provided.
Financing for the health care system is mainly funded through social
health insurance contributions, government subsidies and out-of-pocket
(OOP) payments by users of health services. South Korea has a relatively
low level of health care expenditure, at 6.8% of gross domestic product
(GDP) in 2007. Health care delivery is characterized by the dominance of
private providers, with approximately 90% of total medical institutions
being private facilities.
Major health care reforms have been implemented in the last 10 years.
Following intense discussions and negotiations, a single insurer system
was established in 2000 by integrating all existing health insurance funds.
The incremental expansion of the benefit package has also contributed to
the development of the health care system. MIHWFA has emphasized the
importance of evidence-based health care in many parts of the health care
system. A concerted focus on technology assessment led to the establishment
of the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency in 2008.
Prior to this, technology assessment in pharmaceutical pricing and the
re-evaluation of drug costs were already standard procedures. These policy
efforts, based on evidence-based approaches, will continue to be a meaningful
tool for the development of the health insurance system in a rapidly changing
health care environment in the 21st century. The future development of the
health care system will rely on major stakeholders taking responsibility to
secure a paradigm shift from the current prevalence of acute care towards
a greater focus on preventive health care. This goal is central, in terms of
maintaining both the sustainability of the NHI system and the health of the
population in an era of rising chronic diseases.
http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/101476/E93762.pdfIf only Shimkus would talk to the Republic of Korea ...
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