Reorganization of Long-Term Care Insurance for End-of-Life Care

Korea introduced long-term care insurance on July 1, 2008, to alleviate the burden on families caring for older adults amidst rapid aging and societal changes. Since then, the system has expanded significantly. However, there remains a shortfall in services adequately addressing the nursing, care, health, and medical needs of older adults at the end of life. Therefore, it is essential to reform the long-term care insurance system to enhance service coverage and improve the quality of care for older adults, thereby supporting dignified end-of-life experiences. A phased approach is necessary to integrate end-of-life care into the existing long-term care insurance framework. Several strategies could be considered. First, end-of-life care could be included as a home-based benefit within the long-term care insurance system. Second, introducing an additional fee could be a practical method to incorporate these services into the premiums for long-term care insurance. This approach would make it feasible to extend these benefits to nursing homes. Third, recognizing the significance of end-of-life services and promoting quality improvement could be achieved by incorporating end-of-life needs assessments and related services into the regular evaluations of long-term care facilities.