A Study about the Method for Introducing the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Expert System as the 1st Medicine in order to Reduce the Elderly's Medical Expenses in the Korean Aged Society : Focused on the Foreign Acupuncture and Moxibustion Expert System
Authors:   Asia-Europe Perspective Association, Lee Ju-Eun 
Published: June 2018

The Korean current medical expenses underwent their changes. In the 1980s, the Korean current medical expenses reached KRW 1.4 trillion, and in 2013, such expenses rose up to KRW 98.3 trillion and 70.2%. Also in 2014 the Korean health insurance benefit costs and consultation fees totalled KRW 428,275 hundred million and KRW 544,272 hundred million which were the figures increased to 7.9 % and 6.8%, respectively in turn compared with 2013. This is equivalent to 15.3% of KRW 355,800 billion of the Korean government total budgets in 2014. Besides, the consultation fees of the aged population of more than 65 years old took up KRW 199,687 hundred million or 36.7% of total consultation fees in proportion to 12.7% of the aging rates.
One of the main causes for this phenomenon is due to chronic degenerative disease that is often found among the elderly. Although first-aid-focused contemporary medical technology hardly gives therapeutic effects, most of the elderly depend on contemporary medicine, constantly. Thus, the consultation fees of major chronic illness out of the total consultation fees for the elderly accounted for 36.2% of Korea’s total consultation fees in 2014 (Health Insurance Corporation, 2015).
To make it worse, even the elderly suffering from chronic degenerative diseases indiscreetly tend to prefer large-scale hospitals even though they are not in emergency situation. For this reason, they pay more substantial medical expenses than they paid in the 1st medical institution, and continue to take medical checkups. It is found that large-scale hospitals took advantage of the elderly suffering from chronic degenerative diseases to conduct unreasonably high-priced medical tests, consultations, operations, and prescribe drugs to them constantly. As a result, it is indicated that 76.6% of the elderly who took medical tests paid high medical expenses to large-scale hospitals in 2014. This problem is caused by Korea’s absence of the 1st medical system, and even a lack of the concept of the 1st medicine. Taking it into account, it is a reality that the structure reform of the 1st medical system is required to reduce medical expenses in the Korean aged society.
In this regard, this research study is going to find an alternative to applying the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Expert System into the 1st medicine. It is the global trend to apply the Acupuncture and Moxibustion system into the 1st medicine and use it. A number of countries have a concern for the excellent usefulness of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, and make keen efforts to research, wide-spread, utilize it. The effect and good point of Acupuncture and Moxibustion medicine is that this provides an immediately satisfactory therapeutic effect at the low cost within fast hours without high-priced equipment or facilities. This is not only simple but is more excellent and humanitarian than Western medicine, in a therapeutic effect aspect. Also it can be safe from the damage of drug abuse, operation side-effects, complications. Besides, it is preventable and is very effective. Because of such characteristics, Acupuncture and Moxibustion medicine can be used adequately as the 1st medicine in elderly medical markets. And such a medicine accommodates quick referral to large-scale hospitals and quick adjustment through steadfast relationships, adequate counseling, broad medical consultation for various diseases, and swift medical diagnosis for emergency situations. Moreover, it can carry out much enough its function as the 1st medicine.