반려동물 보험의 실효성 확보를 위한 입법 과제 검토

Abstract

Amid the quantitative increase in Companion Animals and changes in perception surrounding them, there are growing calls for the protection and welfare of Companion Animals. In this situation, the Animal Protection Act stipulates that "an animal should be free from disease" is one of the basic principles of animal protection. It is also stipulated that neglecting proper measures against diseases of animals is animal abuse. Therefore, Companion Animal-rearing households need to quickly provide veterinary care when an animal has a disease. In this regard, animal care costs are mandatory for Companion Animal-rearing households. Recently, the upgrading of the medical system and the resulting longevity and aging of Companion Animals are underway. As a result, easing the burden of Companion Animal care costs is emerging as an important social issue. The current veterinary law prohibits acts that can increase the burden of Companion Animal care, such as excessive care. In principle, however, there is a limit to controlling the Companion Animal medical sector, which is left to private autonomy and market economy principles. As a result, there are many things that are difficult for Companion Animal-rearing household to understand, such as the cost of Companion Animal treatment varies greatly from animal hospital to animal hospital. Against this backdrop, the need for institutional devices to ease the burden of Companion Animal care costs is pointed out, while Companion Animal insurance is drawing attention as a means to compensate for the lack of institutional devices. This article did not directly review institutional devices to ease the burden of Companion Animal care costs, but reviewed necessary legislative tasks in terms of ensuring the activation and effectiveness of Companion Animal insurance, which has recently been increasing its interest.