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Effects of the Reform of the Social Medical Insurance System in Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Atsushi Yoshida
  • Shingo Takagi

Abstract

We estimate outpatient medical care demand functions and examine the effects of the 1997 reform of the medical insurance system. We focus on the issue of which persons have been most affected by the reform and on the extent to which price elasticities have changed since the reform. The estimation results show that the reform affected mainly dependants’ demand for medical care, which implies that all members of the household shared the increase in the medical costs of the head of the household. Price elasticities ranged from −0.18 to −0.26 before the reform, and from −0.08 to −0.11 after the reform. JEL Classification Numbers: C35, I10, I18.

Suggested Citation

  • Atsushi Yoshida & Shingo Takagi, 2002. "Effects of the Reform of the Social Medical Insurance System in Japan," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 53(4), pages 444-465, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jecrev:v:53:y:2002:i:4:p:444-465
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-5876.00238
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Naohiro Yashiro & Reiko Suzuki & Wataru Suzuki, 2006. "Evaluating Japan's Health Care Reform of the 1990s and Its Efforts to Cope with Population Aging," NBER Chapters, in: Health Care Issues in the United States and Japan, pages 17-42, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Mari Kan & Wataru Suzuki, 2006. "The demand for medical care in Japan: initial findings from a Japanese natural experiment," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(5), pages 273-277.
    3. Tamie Matsuura & Masaru Sasaki, 2012. "Can the health insurance reforms stop an increase in medical expenditures for middle- and old-aged persons in Japan?," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 163-187, June.
    4. Yoshida, Atsushi & Kawamura, Akira, 2009. "Who has benefited from the health services system for the elderly in Japan?," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 256-269, August.
    5. Tamie Matsuura & Masaru Sasaki, 2010. "Can the Health Insurance Reforms stop an increase in medical costs of middle- and old-aged persons in Japan?," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 10-13, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.
    6. Galina Besstremyannaya, 2012. "Heterogeneous effect of coinsurance rate on the demand for health care: a finite mixture approach," Working Papers w0163, Center for Economic and Financial Research (CEFIR).
    7. Galina Besstremyannaya, 2014. "Heterogeneous effect of coinsurance rate on healthcare costs: generalized finite mixtures and matching estimators," Discussion Papers 14-014, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
    8. Kan, Mari & Suzuki, Wataru, 2010. "Effects of cost sharing on the demand for physician services in Japan: Evidence from a natural experiment," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 1-12, January.
    9. Atsushi Yoshida & Young-Sook Kim, 2004. "Sharing Health Risk and Income Risk within Households: Evidence from Japanese Data," Econometric Society 2004 Far Eastern Meetings 583, Econometric Society.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C35 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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