The Effect of Chronic Disease Management Program on the Risk of Complications in Patients With Hypertension in Korea

Background@#A chronic disease management program was implemented in April 2012 to lower out-of-pocket costs for repeat visits to the same clinic. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between participating in this program and the onset of complications among patients with hypertension using whole-nation claims data. @*Methods@#We used National Health Insurance Service data (2011–2018) and patients with newly detected hypertension from 2012 to 2014 were selected. Chronic disease management program reduces the out-of-pocket expenses of consultation fee from 30% to 20% when patients enroll in this program by agreeing to visit the same clinic for the treatment of hypertension or diabetes. As the dependent variable, acute myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and heart failure (HF) were selected. For analysis, cox proportional hazards model was used. @*Results@#Total participants were 827,577, among which 102,831(12.6%) subjects participated in the chronic disease management. Participants of the chronic disease management program were more likely to show lower hazard ratios (HRs) than those of non-participants in terms of all complications (MI: HR, 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68–0.82; stroke: HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.72–0.78; CKD: HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85–0.96; HF: HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.52–0.61). @*Conclusion@#The results showed that participants of the chronic disease management program were less likely to have hypertension complications compared to non-participants. Enhancing the participation rate may be related to better outcomes and reducing medical expenses among patients with chronic diseases.

Does having various types of fear related to COVID-19 disrupt individuals’ daily life?: Findings from a nationwide survey in Korea / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES@#Unexpected changes in daily routines caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may affect psychological health. This study investigated the association between various types of COVID-19-related fear and the subjective level of disturbance in daily activities experienced by individuals. @*METHODS@#This cross-sectional study used the Korea Community Health Survey conducted from August through November 2020. COVID-19-related fear included fear of infection, death, public criticism, family members getting infected, and economic loss. The subjective level of disruption in daily activities was measured using a 0-100 numeric rating scale developed by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Multivariable linear regression was used to analyze the associations between the independent and dependent variables. A subgroup analysis was performed based on income level. @*RESULTS@#Participants who reported fear of infection (β=-3.37, p<0.001), death (β=-0.33, p=0.030), public criticism (β=-1.63, p<0.001), a family member getting infected (β=-1.03, p<0.001), and economic loss (β=-3.52, p<0.001) experienced more disturbances in daily activities. The magnitude of this association was most significant in the lowest-income group. @*CONCLUSIONS@#Individuals reporting COVID-19-related fear experienced higher levels of subjective disruption in daily activities.

The Ability to Rest at Home During COVID-19 Symptom Manifestation and Depressive Symptoms: Evidence From Korea

Objective@#This study investigated the association between ability to rest at home in times of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptom manifestation and depressive symptoms. @*Methods@#The 2020 Korea Community Health Survey data were used. The presence of depressive symptoms was determined using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The relationship between depressive symptoms and ability to rest at home was examined using logistic regression analysis. Additional analysis was performed on the reasons for the inability to stay at home. @*Results@#Depressive symptoms were more common in participants who could not rest at home if symptoms manifested (4.1%) than those who could rest at home (2.7%). Participants who could not rest at home (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.34–1.74) were more likely to have depressive symptoms, particularly when they had to report to work (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.30–1.74) or purchase daily necessities (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.15–5.03). @*Conclusion@#Inability to rest at home in the case of COVID-19 symptom manifestation was associated with depressive symptoms. The findings suggest the need to address the identified vulnerable groups to mitigate the mental health consequences of the pandemic.

The Impact of Time-to-Treatment for Outcome in Cancer Patients, and Its Differences by Region and Time Trend / 보건행정학회지

Background@#The Korean government introduced National Cancer Control Program and strengthening national health insurance coverage for cancer patients. Although many positive effects have been observed, there are also many concerns about cancer management such as patient concentration or time-to-treatment. Thus, we investigated the association between the time-to-treatment and survival of cancer patients, and compared regional differences by time trend. @*Methods@#The data used in this study were national health insurance claims data that included patients diagnosed with lung cancer and received surgical treatment between 2005 and 2015. We conducted survival analysis with Cox proportional hazard model for the association between time-to-treatment and survival in lung cancer. Additionally, we compared the regional differences for time-to-treatment by time trend. @*Results@#A total of 842 lung cancer patients were included, and 52.3% of lung cancer patients received surgical treatment within 30 days. Patients who received surgical treatment after 31 days had higher 5-year or 1-year mortality compared to treatment within 30 days (5-year: hazard ratio [HR], 1.566; 1-year: HR, 1.555; p<0.05). There were some regional differences for time-to-treatment, but it was generally reduced after 2010. @*Conclusion@#Delayed surgical treatment after diagnosis can negatively affect patient outcomes in cancer treatment. To improve cancer control strategies, there are needed to analyze the healthcare delivery system for cancer care considering the severity and types of cancer.

The Impact of Time-to-Treatment for Outcome in Cancer Patients, and Its Differences by Region and Time Trend / 보건행정학회지

Background@#The Korean government introduced National Cancer Control Program and strengthening national health insurance coverage for cancer patients. Although many positive effects have been observed, there are also many concerns about cancer management such as patient concentration or time-to-treatment. Thus, we investigated the association between the time-to-treatment and survival of cancer patients, and compared regional differences by time trend. @*Methods@#The data used in this study were national health insurance claims data that included patients diagnosed with lung cancer and received surgical treatment between 2005 and 2015. We conducted survival analysis with Cox proportional hazard model for the association between time-to-treatment and survival in lung cancer. Additionally, we compared the regional differences for time-to-treatment by time trend. @*Results@#A total of 842 lung cancer patients were included, and 52.3% of lung cancer patients received surgical treatment within 30 days. Patients who received surgical treatment after 31 days had higher 5-year or 1-year mortality compared to treatment within 30 days (5-year: hazard ratio [HR], 1.566; 1-year: HR, 1.555; p<0.05). There were some regional differences for time-to-treatment, but it was generally reduced after 2010. @*Conclusion@#Delayed surgical treatment after diagnosis can negatively affect patient outcomes in cancer treatment. To improve cancer control strategies, there are needed to analyze the healthcare delivery system for cancer care considering the severity and types of cancer.

Predictors of Mortality in Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background@#Most meta-analyses of risk factors for severe or critical outcomes in patients with COVID-19 only included studies conducted in China and this causes difficulties in generalization. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically evaluate the risk factors in patients with COVID-19 from various countries. @*Methods@#PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for studies published on the mortality risk in patients with COVID-19 from January 1 to May 7, 2020. Pooled estimates were calculated as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) using the random-effects model. @*Results@#We analyzed data from seven studies involving 26,542 patients in total in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Among the patients, 2,337 deaths were recorded (8.8%). Elderly patients and males showed significantly higher mortality rates than young patients and females; the OR values were 3.6 (95% CI 2.5-5.1) and 1.2 (95% CI 1.0-1.3), respectively. Among comorbidities, hypertension (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.1-4.6), diabetes (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-3.9), cardiovascular disease (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.5-6.3), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 4.4, 95% CI 1.7-11.5), and chronic kidney disease (OR 4.2, 95% CI 2.0-8.6) were significantly associated with increased mortalities. @*Conclusion@#This meta-analysis, involving a huge global sample, employed a systematic method for synthesizing quantitative results of studies on the risk factors for mortality in patients with COVID-19. It is helpful for clinicians to identify patients with poor prognosis and improve the allocation of health resources to patients who need them most.

Ownership of Long-Term Care Facility and Incidence of Pressure Ulcers among Republic of Korea / 보건행정학회지

Background@#In 2008, Korea implemented a new type of social insurance known as “long-term care insurance”. We examined the association between ownership of long-term care facilities and the incidence of pressure ulcers after the implementation of “long-term care insurance”. This study is a population-based retrospective cohort study from 2006 to 2013. @*Methods@#We used medical claims data from the Korean National Health Insurance Corporate Elderly Cohort Database from 2006 to 2013. These data comprise a nationally representative sample. To avoid confounders, only patients admitted to one long-term care facility and who stayed for >70% of the follow-up time were included; as a result, 3,107 individuals were enrolled. The main independent variable was the operating entity of the long-term care facility (local government, corporate bodies, and private for-profit owners), and the dependent variable was the 1-year incidence of pressure-ulcers. Survival analysis (Cox proportional hazard model) was used as an analysis method. @*Results@#Compared to patients admitted to local government long-term care facilities, patients admitted to private long-term care facilities had a significantly higher 1-year risk of pressure ulcers (hazard ratio [HR], 1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29–2.91); the risk was especially high among patients who were cognitively dependent (HR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.25–4.37). @*Conclusion@#Patients admitted to private for-profit long-term care facilities were more likely to have pressure ulcers compared to those in local government and corporate body long-term care facilities. Appropriate assessment tools and publicly available information, as well as more restricted legal requirements, are needed to improve the care quality and outcomes of patients in long-term care facilities.

Multidimensional Cancer Monitoring Index Framework for Developing Regional Cancer Monitoring Index: Based on Cancer Continuum / 보건행정학회지

Cancer is a disease which has the huge burden in worldwide, and cancer is the number one cause of death in Korea. At this point, the new framework for cancer monitoring index is required for regional cancer monitoring. Especially, cancer survivors are the important target which is rapidly increasing recently, also cancer survivor’s quality of care should be considered in the cancer monitoring index framework. To develop the Multidimensional Cancer Monitoring Index considering cancer survivor’s quality of care, we took into account cancer continuum which including prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, assessment of quality of care and monitoring cancer patient, and end-of life care for stage. For target, components of health care delivery system such as patient, family, provider, payer, and policy maker are included. Also, Donabedian model which is a framework for examining health services and evaluating quality of health care such as structure, process, and outcome is applied to contents. This new cancer monitoring framework which includes multidimensional components could help to develop regional cancer monitoring index, and to make national cancer management and prevention policy in the future.

Predictors of Mortality in Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background@#Most meta-analyses of risk factors for severe or critical outcomes in patients with COVID-19 only included studies conducted in China and this causes difficulties in generalization. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically evaluate the risk factors in patients with COVID-19 from various countries. @*Methods@#PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for studies published on the mortality risk in patients with COVID-19 from January 1 to May 7, 2020. Pooled estimates were calculated as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) using the random-effects model. @*Results@#We analyzed data from seven studies involving 26,542 patients in total in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Among the patients, 2,337 deaths were recorded (8.8%). Elderly patients and males showed significantly higher mortality rates than young patients and females; the OR values were 3.6 (95% CI 2.5-5.1) and 1.2 (95% CI 1.0-1.3), respectively. Among comorbidities, hypertension (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.1-4.6), diabetes (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-3.9), cardiovascular disease (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.5-6.3), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 4.4, 95% CI 1.7-11.5), and chronic kidney disease (OR 4.2, 95% CI 2.0-8.6) were significantly associated with increased mortalities. @*Conclusion@#This meta-analysis, involving a huge global sample, employed a systematic method for synthesizing quantitative results of studies on the risk factors for mortality in patients with COVID-19. It is helpful for clinicians to identify patients with poor prognosis and improve the allocation of health resources to patients who need them most.

Ownership of Long-Term Care Facility and Incidence of Pressure Ulcers among Republic of Korea / 보건행정학회지

Background@#In 2008, Korea implemented a new type of social insurance known as “long-term care insurance”. We examined the association between ownership of long-term care facilities and the incidence of pressure ulcers after the implementation of “long-term care insurance”. This study is a population-based retrospective cohort study from 2006 to 2013. @*Methods@#We used medical claims data from the Korean National Health Insurance Corporate Elderly Cohort Database from 2006 to 2013. These data comprise a nationally representative sample. To avoid confounders, only patients admitted to one long-term care facility and who stayed for >70% of the follow-up time were included; as a result, 3,107 individuals were enrolled. The main independent variable was the operating entity of the long-term care facility (local government, corporate bodies, and private for-profit owners), and the dependent variable was the 1-year incidence of pressure-ulcers. Survival analysis (Cox proportional hazard model) was used as an analysis method. @*Results@#Compared to patients admitted to local government long-term care facilities, patients admitted to private long-term care facilities had a significantly higher 1-year risk of pressure ulcers (hazard ratio [HR], 1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29–2.91); the risk was especially high among patients who were cognitively dependent (HR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.25–4.37). @*Conclusion@#Patients admitted to private for-profit long-term care facilities were more likely to have pressure ulcers compared to those in local government and corporate body long-term care facilities. Appropriate assessment tools and publicly available information, as well as more restricted legal requirements, are needed to improve the care quality and outcomes of patients in long-term care facilities.

Multidimensional Cancer Monitoring Index Framework for Developing Regional Cancer Monitoring Index: Based on Cancer Continuum / 보건행정학회지

Cancer is a disease which has the huge burden in worldwide, and cancer is the number one cause of death in Korea. At this point, the new framework for cancer monitoring index is required for regional cancer monitoring. Especially, cancer survivors are the important target which is rapidly increasing recently, also cancer survivor’s quality of care should be considered in the cancer monitoring index framework. To develop the Multidimensional Cancer Monitoring Index considering cancer survivor’s quality of care, we took into account cancer continuum which including prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, assessment of quality of care and monitoring cancer patient, and end-of life care for stage. For target, components of health care delivery system such as patient, family, provider, payer, and policy maker are included. Also, Donabedian model which is a framework for examining health services and evaluating quality of health care such as structure, process, and outcome is applied to contents. This new cancer monitoring framework which includes multidimensional components could help to develop regional cancer monitoring index, and to make national cancer management and prevention policy in the future.

Impact of Changes in Medical Aid Status on Health Care Utilization / 보건행정학회지

BACKGROUND@#South Korea operates a Medical Aid (MA) program targeting selected low-income individuals to ensure medical service delivery to the disadvantaged while enhancing self-sufficiency of work-capable beneficiaries. However, as reasons behind welfare exits are diverse and do not always infer poverty relief or the provision of appropriate levels of health care services, this study aimed to investigate the association between changes in MA status and health care utilization.@*METHODS@#This study used the 2006 to 2015 National Health Insurance claims data. The impact of changes in annual MA status on health care utilization (yearly number of outpatient visits, inpatient visits, length of stay, and emergency department [ED] visits) was investigated using the generalized estimating equation model.@*RESULTS@#In 117,943 adult subjects aged 20 to 64, compared to the ‘MA to MA’ group, the ‘MA to MA exit’ group showed general decreases in utilization (outpatient visits: β=−3.93, p<0.0001; hospital admissions: relative risk [RR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83–0.91; length of stay: β=−3.64, p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.77–0.90). Similar patterns were found in the ‘MA exit to MA exit’ group (outpatient visits: β=−5.72, p<0.0001; admissions: RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87–0.94; length of stay: β=−5.87; p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.75–0.88). Likewise, in 74,747 older adult subjects aged 65 or above, the ‘MA to MA exit’ group showed reduced levels of utilization (outpatient visits: β=−1.51; p=0.0020), as well as the ‘MA exit to MA exit’ group (admissions: RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89–0.95; length of stay: β, −5.45; p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83–0.97).@*CONCLUSION@#MA exit was associated with general decreases in health care utilization. Utilization patterns of individuals with experiences of receiving MA benefits should be monitored to promote the ideal use of health care services while preventing potential financial barriers present in accessing medical care.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Hospice-Palliative Care for Adults with Terminal Cancer in South Korea / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS@#Although there is growing interest in hospice-palliative care, little information is available on the effects of such care in South Korea. Addressing this research gap, i.e., determining the cost-effectiveness of hospice-palliative care in South Korea, will help guide policy. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness analysis of hospice-palliative care in adults diagnosed with terminal cancer.@*METHODS@#We used a Markov model to construct a decision tree, for an analysis comparing the general ward with the hospice-palliative ward in terms of patient quality of life and cost-effectiveness. Cost and quality of life were estimated based on published Korean studies. Cost-effectiveness was calculated as the incremental cost relative to the incremental effect. Additionally, a one-way sensitivity analysis was performed to test the robustness of the results.@*RESULTS@#Hospice-palliative ward care was more cost-effective than general ward care. The incremental cost was 290,401 Korean won (KRW) and the incremental effect was −0.25. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was −1,174,045 KRW. A similar pattern of results was obtained in the sensitivity analysis.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Our results suggest that hospice-palliative ward care is more cost-effective than general ward care.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Hospice-Palliative Care for Adults with Terminal Cancer in South Korea / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although there is growing interest in hospice-palliative care, little information is available on the effects of such care in South Korea. Addressing this research gap, i.e., determining the cost-effectiveness of hospice-palliative care in South Korea, will help guide policy. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness analysis of hospice-palliative care in adults diagnosed with terminal cancer. METHODS: We used a Markov model to construct a decision tree, for an analysis comparing the general ward with the hospice-palliative ward in terms of patient quality of life and cost-effectiveness. Cost and quality of life were estimated based on published Korean studies. Cost-effectiveness was calculated as the incremental cost relative to the incremental effect. Additionally, a one-way sensitivity analysis was performed to test the robustness of the results. RESULTS: Hospice-palliative ward care was more cost-effective than general ward care. The incremental cost was 290,401 Korean won (KRW) and the incremental effect was −0.25. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was −1,174,045 KRW. A similar pattern of results was obtained in the sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that hospice-palliative ward care is more cost-effective than general ward care.

Correction to: Depressive symptoms in individuals with family members requiring ADL assistance

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error in Table 2 in their paper. The table entry "Men's P value" was mistakenly included under the table heading "Women". The original article [1] has been updated.

Depressive symptoms in individuals with family members requiring ADL assistance

BACKGROUND@#The number of patients with depressive symptoms worldwide is increasing steadily, and the prevalence of depression among caregivers is high. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the effects of individuals' caregiving status with respect to their family members requiring activities of daily living (ADLs) assistance on depressive symptoms among those aged 45 or over.@*METHODS@#Data were collected from the 2006-2016 using the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging surveys. Participants were categorized into three groups based on their caregiving status with respect to family members requiring ADL assistance: whether they provided the assistance themselves, whether the assistance was provided by other caregivers, or whether no assistance was required. We analyzed the generalized estimating equation model and subgroups.@*RESULTS@#A total of 3744 men and 4386 women were included for the analysis. Men who cared for family members requiring ADL assistance had higher depressive symptoms than those with family members who did not require ADL assistance. Among women, participants who had family members requiring ADL assistance that they themselves or others were providing had higher depressive symptoms than those without family members requiring ADL assistance. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on age, job status, regular physical activities, participation status in social activities, and the number of cohabiting generations.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The study results indicated higher depressive symptoms among those with family members requiring ADL assistance and those who care for such family members themselves. This suggests that an alternative to family caregiving is necessary, especially for the elderly, regardless of caregiver sex.

Association between Parents' Country of Birth and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: the Early Stages of Multicultural Society

BACKGROUND: This study aims to determine whether significant associations exist between the parents' country of birth and adolescent depressive symptoms in the early stages of a multicultural society. METHODS: We used data from the 2012–2016 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, which included responses from 327,357 individuals. Participants were classified into groups according to their parent's country of birth. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the significance of the associations. RESULTS: Adolescents whose parents were born abroad are more likely to have depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33–2.12) than adolescents whose parents were native Koreans. Respondents whose father was born in North Korea or Japan or Taiwan show greater odds of depressive symptoms than respondents whose parents were native Korean. CONCLUSION: Adolescents whose parents were born abroad are more likely to have depressive symptoms. Multicultural family support policies should be implemented in consideration of the characteristics of the parents' country of birth.

Strategic Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Improving National Cancer Screening Uptake in Cervical Cancer: A Focus on Regional Inequality in South Korea / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to conduct a cost effectiveness analysis of strategies designed to improve national cervical cancer screening rates, along with a distributional cost effectiveness analysis that considers regional disparities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cost effectiveness analysis was conducted using a Markov cohort simulation model, with quality adjusted life years as the unit of effectiveness. The strategies considered were current (biennial Papanicolaou smear cytology of females aged 20 or above), strong screening recommendation by mail to target regions (effect, 12% increase in screening uptake; cost, 1,000 Korean won per person), regular universal screening recommendation by mail (effect, 6% increase in screening uptake; cost, 500 Korean won per person), and strong universal screening recommendation by mail (effect, 12% increase in screening uptake; cost, 1,000 Korean won per person). Distributional cost effectiveness analysis was conducted by calculating the cost effectiveness of strategies using the Atkinson incremental cost effectiveness ratio. RESULTS: All strategies were under the threshold value, which was set as the Korean gross domestic product of $25,990. In particular, the ‘strong screening recommendation to target regions’ strategy was found to be the most cost effective (incremental cost effectiveness ratio, 7,361,145 Korean won). This was also true when societal inequality aversion increased in the distributional cost effectiveness analysis. CONCLUSION: The ‘strong screening recommendation to target regions’ strategy was the most cost effective approach, even when adjusting for inequality. As efficiency and equity are objectives concurrently sought in healthcare, these findings imply a need to develop appropriate economic evaluation methodologies to assess healthcare policies.

Catastrophic Health Expenditure and Trend of South Korea in 2016 / 보건행정학회지

Catastrophic health expenditure refers to when a household spends more than 40 percent of disposable income for out-of-pocketexpenses for healthcare. This study investigates the percentage of South Korean household which experienced the catastrophic health expenditure between 2006 and 2016 with the National Survey of Tax and Benefit and the Household Income and Expenditure Survey data. Percentage of households with the catastrophic health expenditure and tread tests were conducted with weight variable. The results of the National Survey of Tax and Benefit and the Household Income and Expenditure Survey showed 2.17% and 2.92% of households experienced the catastrophic health expenditure in 2016. In trend analysis, the National Survey of Tax and Benefit showed a statistically significant decreasing trend in the proportion of households with the catastrophic health expenditure (annual percentage change [APC]=−4.03, p < 0.0001). However, the Household Income and Expenditure Survey revealed a statistically significant increasing trend (APC=1.43, p < 0.0001). In conclusion, this study suggests that optimal healthcare alternatives are needed for the catastrophic health expenditure and monitoring low-income households.

Catastrophic Health Expenditure Status and Trend of Korea in 2015 / 보건행정학회지

Catastrophic healthcare expenditure refers to out-of-pocket spending for healthcare exceeding a certain proportion of a household's income and can lead to subsequent impoverishment. The aim of this study was to investigate the proportion of South Korean households that experienced catastrophic healthcare expenditure between 2006 and 2015 using available data from the Korea Health Panel, National Survey of Tax and Benefit, and Household Income and Expenditure Survey. Frequencies and trend tests were conducted to analyze the proportion of households with catastrophic healthcare expenditure. Subgroup analysis was performed based on income level. The results of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey revealed that around 2.88% of households experienced catastrophic healthcare expenditure in 2015 and that this proportion was highest in the low income group. Results also showed a statistically significant increasing trend in the number of households with catastrophic healthcare expenditure (annual percentage change=0.92%, p-value <0.0001). Therefore, the findings infer a need to strengthen public health care financing and to particularly monitor catastrophic healthcare expenditure in the low income group.