A Free Ride? Does Oliver-ssam Envy Korean Health Care?
In South Korea, going to the hospital is faster than going to work. If a doctor says, “Let’s take a CT,” a CT scan is done immediately, and if a doctor says, “Let’s go into surgery now,” the patient is admitted promptly. No matter how expensive the diagnostic costs are said to be, they are nothing compared to those in the United States, which are high enough to cripple a household.
South Korea’s low-cost, high-efficiency system began in 1977, when Park Chung Hee’s administration implemented compulsory health insurance. During that time, the medical world resisted, saying it was a socialist idea for the government to control prices, and even bringing up Park’s past ties to the South Korean Workers’ Party. Despite the pushback, the government’s first action was to force workplaces with 500 employees or more to enroll in health care coverage. In return, to compensate hospitals for lowered medical fees, the government allowed the hospitals to set their own prices and profit from services that were not covered.
South Korea’s health care system, created through government coaxing and appeasement, evolved under the principle of “basic health care,” allowing any citizen to receive treatment. In 1989, the Roh Tae Woo administration expanded eligibility to the entire nation, even the self-employed. Then, in 2000, Kim Dae Jung eliminated inequity among patients by consolidating hundreds of medical insurance unions into the National Health Insurance Service. As a result, South Korea became a nation where patients could seek medical care with fewer concerns about costs.
The U.S. health care system, which Korean doctors call ideal, is the complete opposite of South Korea’s system. Insurance companies reign supreme over patients. Even when the doctor calls for an MRI, the insurance company insists on pre-approval. If the insurance company says to wait, everything comes to a halt. While the insurance provider crunches the numbers, the patient’s illness worsens and the “golden hour” slips away, frequently resulting in the patient’s death.
Oliver Grant, 37, a former native English teacher and YouTuber whose site is known as “Oliver-ssam,” became a hit after exposing the harsh reality of the U.S. health care system. Oliver-ssam said that, despite paying a monthly insurance premium close to 4 million won, or $3,000, his father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer only after the cancer had become terminal. His heart-wrenching story prompts reflection. Without the implementation of Park’s “basic health care,” Roh’s nationwide medical insurance, and Kim’s medical consolidation, the current landscape of South Korea’s hospitals would not be that different from that of the United States.
Even so, it is doubtful that Oliver-ssam would envy Korea wholeheartedly. This is because doctors have recently been avoiding essential medical work so that they can pursue their own well-being. However, you cannot assign blame only to money-grubbing doctors. Since most people can make a living without fear of starving, isn’t society as a whole just avoiding the more demanding paths, from public service to corporate jobs to convenience store part-time work? If this trend continues, there is no guarantee that society will not revert to how it was before 1977 when people died from appendicitis.
In response to government efforts to increase the number of doctors, an unprecedented, coordinated strike is unfolding, involving everyone from first-year medical students onward. As the public appeals to professional ethics and considers doctors money-driven, a zero-sum game emerges. Oliver-ssam’s remark that he is “giving up eight years of life in the United States”* because of lagging health care has caused misunderstanding,, with many asking whether he intends to free-ride on South Korea’s health care system. This raises the question of whether he truly knows what has transpired in this country over the last eight years.
*Editor's note: This quote, accurately translated, could not be independently verified.
South Korea’s low-cost, high-efficiency system began in 1977, when Park Chung Hee’s administration implemented compulsory health insurance. During that time, the medical world resisted, saying it was a socialist idea for the government to control prices, and even bringing up Park’s past ties to the South Korean Workers’ Party. Despite the pushback, the government’s first action was to force workplaces with 500 employees or more to enroll in health care coverage. In return, to compensate hospitals for lowered medical fees, the government allowed the hospitals to set their own prices and profit from services that were not covered.
South Korea’s health care system, created through government coaxing and appeasement, evolved under the principle of “basic health care,” allowing any citizen to receive treatment. In 1989, the Roh Tae Woo administration expanded eligibility to the entire nation, even the self-employed. Then, in 2000, Kim Dae Jung eliminated inequity among patients by consolidating hundreds of medical insurance unions into the National Health Insurance Service. As a result, South Korea became a nation where patients could seek medical care with fewer concerns about costs.
The U.S. health care system, which Korean doctors call ideal, is the complete opposite of South Korea’s system. Insurance companies reign supreme over patients. Even when the doctor calls for an MRI, the insurance company insists on pre-approval. If the insurance company says to wait, everything comes to a halt. While the insurance provider crunches the numbers, the patient’s illness worsens and the “golden hour” slips away, frequently resulting in the patient’s death.
Oliver Grant, 37, a former native English teacher and YouTuber whose site is known as “Oliver-ssam,” became a hit after exposing the harsh reality of the U.S. health care system. Oliver-ssam said that, despite paying a monthly insurance premium close to 4 million won, or $3,000, his father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer only after the cancer had become terminal. His heart-wrenching story prompts reflection. Without the implementation of Park’s “basic health care,” Roh’s nationwide medical insurance, and Kim’s medical consolidation, the current landscape of South Korea’s hospitals would not be that different from that of the United States.
Even so, it is doubtful that Oliver-ssam would envy Korea wholeheartedly. This is because doctors have recently been avoiding essential medical work so that they can pursue their own well-being. However, you cannot assign blame only to money-grubbing doctors. Since most people can make a living without fear of starving, isn’t society as a whole just avoiding the more demanding paths, from public service to corporate jobs to convenience store part-time work? If this trend continues, there is no guarantee that society will not revert to how it was before 1977 when people died from appendicitis.
In response to government efforts to increase the number of doctors, an unprecedented, coordinated strike is unfolding, involving everyone from first-year medical students onward. As the public appeals to professional ethics and considers doctors money-driven, a zero-sum game emerges. Oliver-ssam’s remark that he is “giving up eight years of life in the United States”* because of lagging health care has caused misunderstanding,, with many asking whether he intends to free-ride on South Korea’s health care system. This raises the question of whether he truly knows what has transpired in this country over the last eight years.
*Editor's note: This quote, accurately translated, could not be independently verified.
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