의료수요 가격탄력성 추정 : 감기와 심장질환을 중심으로

The finances of the National Health Insurance are deteriorating due to policies to strengthen health insurance coverage and an aging population. The current balance of the National Health Insurance is turning into a deficit, and the accumulated reserves are continuously being exhausted. Therefore, it is judged that the finances of health insurance should be used efficiently. This study compares and analyzes the price elasticity of demand for medical use by consumers whose main diseases are colds and heart disease using the 1st stage data of the Korea Medical Panel. Cold was used as a representative disease of mild disease, and heart disease was used as a representative disease of severe disease. Unlike previous studies, it is differentiated in that it minimizes the occurrence of bias in estimation because the study was conducted with a specific disease as the main disease. In addition, since panel data, not time series data, was used, a relatively efficient estimator was derived. As a result of the analysis, the price elasticity of demand for medical use with cold as the main disease was estimated to be about -0.018, and the price elasticity of demand for medical use with heart disease as the main disease was not statistically significant. Therefore, it is judged that it is necessary to minimize the abuse of medical care by consumers by increasing the self-pay ratio for mild diseases such as colds. In addition, for serious diseases such as heart disease, policies that provide subsidies or raise the overall health level rather than increase the out-of-pocket ratio should be presented.