Department of Economics, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro (Sinsu-dong #1), Mapo-gu, Seoul, 04107, South Korea.
Department of Economics, Room GN702, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-ro (Sinsu-dong #1), Mapo-gu, Seoul, 04107, South Korea.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Nov;26(31):31730-31751. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-06145-3. Epub 2019 Sep 4.
This study analyzes the relationship between air pollutants (represented as the air quality index or AQI) and healthcare expenditure. It uses balanced monthly panel data that provides information about the healthcare expenditure, concentration of air pollutants, and regional characteristics. It considers all the variables for 16 cities and provinces in Korea for the period January 2010 to September 2017. It uses the panel data methodology to estimate the effects of air pollutants on healthcare expenditure conditional on controlling for different determinants of healthcare expenditure. The important determinants of variations in healthcare expenditure that this study identifies include the following: five air pollutants' quality indices, personal income, population share of the elderly and the young, per capita registered and operated cars, the number of industries, and atmospheric factors. Results indicate that air pollutants, NO2, O3, and PM10 exert a positive effect on healthcare expenditure. The study also sheds light on the socially optimal allocation of future healthcare resources in South Korea and shows that South Korea could reduce its healthcare expenditure by following the World Health Organization's air quality standards. The findings have three implications: developing health-conscious air quality standards; design and implementation of location-specific customized policies; health benefits of improved air quality standards. This research also provides useful evidence for policymakers to address current environmental problems.
本研究分析了空气污染物（以空气质量指数或 AQI 表示）与医疗保健支出之间的关系。它使用了平衡月度面板数据，该数据提供了有关医疗保健支出、空气污染物浓度和区域特征的信息。它考虑了韩国 16 个城市和省份在 2010 年 1 月至 2017 年 9 月期间的所有变量。它使用面板数据方法，在控制医疗保健支出不同决定因素的情况下，估计空气污染物对医疗保健支出的影响。本研究确定的医疗保健支出变化的重要决定因素包括以下内容：五种空气污染物质量指数、个人收入、老年和青年人口份额、每千人登记和运营的汽车、工业数量和大气因素。结果表明，空气污染物（NO2、O3 和 PM10）对医疗保健支出有正向影响。该研究还揭示了韩国未来医疗资源在社会上的优化配置情况，并表明韩国可以通过遵循世界卫生组织的空气质量标准来降低其医疗保健支出。研究结果有三个启示：制定具有健康意识的空气质量标准；设计和实施针对特定地点的定制政策；空气质量标准改善带来的健康效益。本研究还为政策制定者解决当前的环境问题提供了有用的证据。
