This study aims to investigate the effects of out-of-pocket (OOP) exemption policy on treatment outcomes in Korean patients with tuberculosis.
The study classifies health insurance beneficiaries who benefited from the out-of-pocket payment exemption policy as the treatment group and medical aid beneficiaries as the control group. Findings show that after the implementation of OOP exemption policy in South Korea, treatment completion rates increased in both the treatment and control groups, while mortality rates decreased more in the treatment group compared to the control group. This study suggests introducing social protection policies for loss of income alongside support for direct medical costs.