This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Policy Options for Financing the Future Health and Long-term Care Costs in Japan

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Tadashi Fukui (Faculty of Economics, Kyoto Sangyo University)
Yasushi Iwamoto (Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

As the Japanese population structure changes, health care and long-term care costs will steadily increase. The current style of financing (pay-as-you-go) will create a large increase in future burden of these costs. This paper studies an alternative policy that prefunds the social insurance benefits for the elderly. During a transition process, the proposed scheme maintains a higher contribution rate in order to accumulate sufficient funds. Under our baseline scenario, the sum of the contribution rates toward health insurance and long-term care insurance increases from 5.06 percent of earnings to 12.41 percent of the same. The rate of increase in overall burdens, including taxes and subsidies, is 63 percent. Our sensitivity analysis has shown that the quantitative implications of the increase in total burdens depend on social cost scenarios, the labor force, and the interest rate. However, labor force scenarios do not have a considerable impact on the rate of burden. As against this, the setting of social costs has a significant impact on the same. Even under the most optimistic scenario, the rate of increase in total burden is 34 percent. Even though we cannot predict the exact amount of the necessary contribution rate that is capable enough to transfer the funded system, what we are sure of is that a significant increase in the contribution rate is inevitable.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.e.u-tokyo.ac.jp/cirje/research/dp/2006/2006cf432.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo in its series CIRJE F-Series with number CIRJE-F-432.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 40 pages
Date of creation: Jul 2006
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:tky:fseres:2006cf432

Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://www.e.u-tokyo.ac.jp/cirje/index.htm

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: ().

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports: References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Seiritsu Ogura, 1994. "The Cost of Aging: Public Finance Perspectives for Japan," NBER Chapters, in: Aging in the United States and Japan: Economic Trends, pages 139-174 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  2. David M. Cutler & Louise Sheiner, 2000. "Generational aspects of Medicare," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2000-09, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Alan J. Auerbach & Jagadeesh Gokhale & Laurence J. Kotlikoff, 1991. "Generational Accounts - A Meaningful Alternative to Deficit Accounting," NBER Working Papers 3589, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Martin Feldstein, 1999. "Prefunding Medicare," NBER Working Papers 6917, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. David F. Bradford & Derrick A. Max, 1997. "Implicit Budget Deficits: The Case of a Mandated Shift to Community-Rated Health Insurance," NBER Chapters, in: Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 11, pages 129-168 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Olivia S. Mitchell & John Piggott & Satoshi Shimizutani, 2004. "Aged-Care Support in Japan: Perspectives and Challenges," NBER Working Papers 10882, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? RePEc encourages publishers to make their bibliographic data freely available to the public.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-19.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.