Does the difference in the medical expenses subsidy system affect the health inequality in children?

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03729
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Public finance/Public economy
• Research Institution: National Center for Child Health and Development
• Principal Investigator: Moriichi Akinori 国立研究開発法人国立成育医療研究センター, その他, 室長 (50374418)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 健康格差 / 小児医療 / 医療費助成 / 公費

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Japan has several medical grant programs that help children reduce their medical expenses. The medical expenses subsidy system consists of national benefits that the government pays, and regional assistance that the municipalities spend. The national system is operated uniformly throughout the country, while the local government system differs greatly among the local governments. This research explored the local infants and children medical expense subsidies and investigated how the disparities of medical benefits affect the health indicators of children.

Free Research Field

小児科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

全国1,741市町村の全ての自治体の乳幼児・子ども医療費助成の実態について調査を行い、地域差が大きいことが分かった。一方で死亡のような重大な健康アウトカムに対しては、医療費助成の差異による影響は少ないことが分かった。
一方、過去100年以上の5歳未満死亡について、都道府県別に相対的格差の検証を行ったところ、戦後減少していた相対的格差が近年再び増加している可能性があることが分かった。