Medical Expenditure of National Health Insurance Attributable to Smoking among the Korean Population.
10.3961/jpmph.2007.40.3.227
- Author:
Sang Yi LEE
1
;
Sun Ha JEE
;
Ji Eun YUN
;
Su Young KIM
;
Jakyung LEE
;
Jonathan M SAMET
;
Il Soon KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Health Policy and Management, Medical College, Cheju National University, Jeju, Korea. jsunha@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords:
Smoking;
Medical expenditure;
Populationattributable risk;
Relative risk;
Cohort study
- MeSH:
Adult;
Aged;
Aged, 80 and over;
Female;
*Health Expenditures;
Humans;
Korea/epidemiology;
Male;
Middle Aged;
Models, Econometric;
National Health Programs/*economics;
Risk;
Smoking/adverse effects/*economics
- From:Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
2007;40(3):227-232
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the population-attributable risk (PAR) and estimate the total medical expenditure of the Korean National Health Insurance (KNHI) due to smoking. METHODS: We used data from the Korean Cancer Prevention Study of 1,178,138 Koreans aged 30 to 95. These data were available from 1992 to 2003 and covered a long-term follow-up period among the Korean population. RESULTS: The total medical expenditure of KNHI related to smoking increased by 27% from $324.9 million in 1999 to $413.7 million in 2003. By specific diseases, smokingattributable KNHI medical expenditure was the highest for lung cancer ($74.2 million), followed by stroke ($65.3 million), COPD ($50.1 million), CHD ($49 million) and stomach cancer ($30 million). A total of 1.3 million KNHI patients were suffering from smoking-related diseases in 2003. We predicted rises in total KNHI medical expenditure related to smoking to $675.1 million (63% increase compared with that of 2003) and in the total number of KNHI patients suffering from smoking-related diseases to about 2.6million (an approximate 100% increase compared with those in 2003) in 2015. CONCLUSIONS: We found a substantial economic burden related to the high smoking prevalence in South Korea.
