医療経済学Ⅰ
On the Consumption Insurance Effects of Long-term Care Insurance in Japan: Evidence from Micro Household Data*
東京大学 岩本 康志
大阪大学 小原 美紀
一橋大学 齊藤 誠
Abstract
Using micro-level household data in the 2001 Comprehensive Survey of the
Living Conditions of the People on Health and Welfare as compiled by the
Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, this paper examines how
having a household member in need of long-term nursing care can result
in welfare losses measured in terms of consumption. In doing so, the study
evaluates the role of the public long-term care insurance scheme implemented
in Japan in April 2000. The results indicate that when households included
a disabled family member, household consumption net of long-term care costs
did not decrease as much as before the introduction of long-term care insurance.
When compared with the surveys conducted in 1995 and 1998, the adverse
effects on consumption net of long-term care costs have became much weaker.
These findings suggest that the introduction of social insurance in 2000
helped to reduce the welfare loss associated with having a disabled family
member.
JEL classification numbers: E21, I18
Keywords: social insurance; consumption insurance; long-term care insurance