Has the long-term care insurance resolved disparities in mortality for older Koreans? examination of service type and income level

Abstract The Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) has been implemented to help the government take responsibility for social prevention and protection measures to maintain and improve older adults' health and well-being since 2008. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of LTCI on mortality of elders in South Korea. The data used from the national representative Elderly Cohort Database for 2009 to 2013. We analyzed longitudinal panel data from 61,235 persons aged 65 years and older. We generated Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazard models by use and type of long-term care services (LTCSs) (e.g., non-user, facility, and in-home benefits) and income level. The covariate-adjusted approximate mortality rates by LTCS type for facility and in-home benefits group compared to non-LTCS users were 0.761 and 0.803, respectively. The approximate mortality rates were higher in the middle low- (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 1.131, p