Affiliation:
1. Department of Family Medicine, Konkuk University Medical Center, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul 05030, Republic of Korea
2. Department of Data Science, Hanmi Pharm. Co., Ltd., Seoul 05545, Republic of Korea
3. Department of Family Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Background: Economic deprivation is expected to influence cancer mortality due to its impact on screening and treatment options, as well as healthy lifestyle. However, the relationship between insurance type, premiums, and mortality rates remains unclear. This study investigated the relationship between insurance type and mortality in patients with newly diagnosed cancer using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Database. Methods: this retrospective cohort study included 111,941 cancer patients diagnosed between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2008, with a median follow-up period of 13.41 years. The insurance types were categorized as regional and workplace subscribers and income-based insurance premiums were divided into tertiles (T1, T2, and T3). Results: Cox proportional hazards regression analysis adjusted for age, lifestyle factors, health metrics, and comorbidities showed workplace subscribers (n = 76,944) had a lower all-cause mortality hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.940 [0.919–0.961]) compared to regional subscribers (n = 34,997). Higher income tertiles (T2, T3) were associated with lower mortality compared to the T1 group, notably in male regional and workplace subscribers, and female regional subscribers. Conclusion: The study identified that insurance types and premiums significantly influence mortality in cancer patients, highlighting the necessity for individualized insurance policies for cancer patients.
Funder
National Research Foundation of Korea
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