Reflection the aging population, the growth of Health Care Expenditures has become one of the most important policy issues in developed countries. This is especially the case with Japan where the speed of aging population is the fastest in the world. National health expenditures in Japan reached an estimated about 30 trillion yen in 2000, and they have lately been increasing by about 1 trillion yen annually. This study examines various factors that influence Health Care Expenditures for the elderly(HCEA) in Japan and tries to evaluate the introduction of new long-term care insurance. The analysis reveals household structures, population density, municipal income, personal income of regions affect HCEA directly as well as indirectly through the availability of hospitals and long-term care facilities and services. These results suggest that reinforcement of public support for home care may decrease HCEA and the findings suggest that demand-inducement hypothesis may be helpful in explaining the regional differences in the per capita HCEA.
Learning Objectives: na
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Long-Term Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.