KIHASA has released its November Issue of the Health and Welfare Policy Forum, No. 325. (The articles are available for download here.)

SUMMARY OF THE FOREWORD: "Social Security Administrative Data: Its Use and Prospects," Lee Sangwon, Secretary-General, Social Security Committee

In general, the term 'administrative data' refers to a wide range of information and records collected, stored, and managed by government and public organizations. In the field of social security, administrative data includes, among other things, data and information about individuals and households on their income levels, entitled benefits and benefit take-up, medical and health status, employment and housing, poverty status, and social class.

Several efforts are underway to further the utilization of social security administration data that has been compiled and linked for use in public policy. The most important of these efforts concerns quality control. To get a fair evaluation of the social security system on which to base a plan for its enhancement, for example, it requires accurate data on the system and, to ensure it, precise, comprehensive data quality control.

Major tasks for the utilization of administrative data include: (1) improving the use of administrative data in policy analysis through joint data verification and quality control involving national policy research institutes; (2) developing an index and new statistical indicators to assess 'the quality of society' at national, local, and community levels; and (3) constructing, through forming an inter-institute consortium, a common platform for use by the institutes concerned.

The utilization and prospects of administrative data depend on how well we address the tasks mentioned. As the social security system expands to keep up with ever-altering social conditions, it is expected that social security administrative data will play a greater role in understanding the social security system and in evaluating and adjusting its efficiency and effectiveness. Administrative data should be seen as a central basis on which to base policy planning for social security renovation. The development of the social security system with administrative data as its driving force requires unceasing and enthusiastic interest and support.

MONTHLY FOCUS: Connecting, Utilizing, and Revitalizing Administrative Data Construction in the Social Security Sector

"Cases of Using Social Security Administrative Data and Future Tasks," You Jong-sung, Gachon University

Administrative data is a type of big data that typically covers the entire population subject to administration, allowing for research at regional and small-group levels. It has the advantage of being free from non-response, memory errors, and false responses and of naturally obtaining panel data structures. However, there are cases where administrative data is less accurate than survey data, and the use of data from particular administrative agencies is very limited, so it can be of considerable utility only when linked with other administrative data or survey data. For evidence-based policies, especially for policy evaluation and design at the regional level, such as regional social security plans, it is crucial to link various administrative data and survey data. Based on the experience of the past few years since the enactment of the three data laws, legal and administrative improvement measures should be sought.

"Integrated Administrative Data and Evidence-based Social Policy," Lee Hyonjoo, KIHASA

This article examines social security administrative data in terms of its characteristics and the background of its formation and seeks ways to overcome its current limitations to improve its use in research. In particular, we examine past deficiencies in social security data, the subsequent need for a social security administrative database, and recent amendments to the Framework Act on Social Security that supported its creation. This study highlights the advantages of having a cross-sectional database of social security administrative records, currently under construction as mandated by law, and discusses necessary improvements. Given the policy challenges in the field of social security, social security administrative records should also be structured into panel data in a way that combines with administrative data on facility residents and survey findings. Furthermore, there is a need for a committee to oversee the suggested improvements.

"Use of Administrative Data from the Social Security Information System," Han Eunhee, Korea Social Security Information Service

The Personal Information Protection Act, as amended in January 2020, allows through pseudonymization for the use of administrative data stored on the social security information system for statistical records, scientific research, and public interest purposes. Despite the legal framework in place, however, the use of administrative data remains limited to an extent due to the unclear and complicated procedures for combining and using pseudonymized data. This article examines specific examples of how pseudonymized social security administrative data has been used and combined and discusses what should be done to further the use of pseudonymized data. This study points out the need for creating a complete list of all the data that can be obtained from the social security information system and providing metadata for these data sets, enhancing people’s understanding of and capacity for using social security administrative data, and establishing an integrated dataset that allows for information retention. Most important of all is to establish an evidence-based system of policy evaluation and planning that takes account of the findings of policy research using social security administrative data.

"Cases and Challenges of Linking Administrative Data in the Survey on Senior Employment and Social Activity Support Program," Cheon Jae Yeong, Korea Labor Force Institute for the Aged

Surveys using administrative data have clear advantages, such as reduced respondent fatigue, reduced survey time, and improved reliability of survey findings. The 2022 Survey on the Senior Employment and Social Activity Support Program was conducted using, in addition to face-to-face interviews, health care use information (National Health Insurance Service) combined with income-and-asset information (Korea Social Security Information Service). The survey involved obtaining from the Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged basic information on those participating or waitlisted for participation, as of July 31, 2022, in the senior employment program. Individuals were selected from the sample for interview surveys. Then data linkage was undertaken using the unique identification numbers of those surveyed face-to-face, combining administrative records from the National Health Insurance Service and the Korea Social Security Information Service. This study highlights the problem of dealing with missing data, which affected 711 individuals―or 19.8 percent of a total of 3,596 people surveyed ―identified as not in receipt of basic pensions. Addressing this issue remains a concern for future survey endeavors.

POLICY ANALYSIS AND TRENDS

"Disability-related Health Disparities and Their Policy Implications," Kim Sujin, KIHASA

This article examined healthcare disparities between disabled and non-disabled individuals across different health indicators, such as lifestyle behaviors, chronic and acute disease management, and avoidable mortality. We found that disabled individuals had higher rates of physical inactivity and obesity, with the disparities with non-disabled individuals widening over time. Disabled individuals also had lower rates of general health checkups, which may lead to delayed disease detection. In terms of chronic disease management, the proportion of disabled individuals with uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension increased, along with wider gaps in preventable hospitalizations for these conditions. Significant disparities were observed in acute disease treatment and follow-up care between disabled and non-disabled individuals. While the gap in treatable and preventable deaths between the two groups has decreased, disabled individuals still face a higher risk of death from treatable causes. Overall, there is a need for proactive policies to address these disparities and promote the health and rights of disabled individuals.

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