Impact of changes in economic status on catastrophic health expenditures among households with people with a disability in South Korea

Aims: Although people with a disability need comprehensive and consistent healthcare services because they often have both common and disability-related health problems, their economic status may restrict healthcare service use. this study investigated the impact of economic status changes on catastrophic health expenditures (cHE) among people with a disability in south Korea. Methods: We retrieved 4,065 household records from the Panel survey of Employment for the Disabled (2010–2012) and explored potential relationships among disability status, economic change, and cHE. results: Households in which people with a disability recently lost a job or had been unemployed [(Odds ratios (Or): 2.30, 1.68, respectively)] were more likely to incur cHE compared with those with a consistent job. In addition, households with Jae-Woo Choi1, Tae-Hyun Kim2, Jae-Hyun Kim1, Sang-Gyu Lee2, Eun-Cheol Park3 Affiliations: 1Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; 2Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, Department of Hospital Administration, Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea; 3Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Corresponding Author: Eun-Cheol Park, MD, PhD, Department of Preventive Medicine and Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50 Yonseiro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120–752, Korea; Tel: 82-2-21881862, Fax: 82-2-392-8133; Email: [email protected] Received: 22 December 2014 Accepted: 29 January 2015 Published: 26 March 2015 people with a mild disability who either lost or gained a job or who was already unemployed (Or: 3.12, 2.10, 1.73, respectively) were more likely to incur cHE than households with people with a severe disability who had been supported by medical aid. conclusions: Households with people with a disability who experiences a change in job status are more likely to face barriers to needed healthcare services than those with no such change, indicating that job status may be a more significant factor for cHE than level of disability.