Panel Data Analysis on Healthcare Inequality

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K17132
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Public finance/Public economy
• Research Institution: Nagoya University of Commerce & Business (2017); Kyoto University (2016)
• Principal Investigator: Tamura Masaoki 名古屋商科大学, 経済学部, 講師 (00711590)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 医療経済学 / 不平等 / パネルデータ分析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Our panel data analysis on the basis of Japan Household Panel Survey (JHPS) gives the following results: though the healthcare expenditure of the lowest income class (under 3 million yen) is below the needs, that of the highest income class (above 9 million yen) is far above the needs. In addition, Inequality is more severe for the retired generation than the working generation. In the depression from 2009 to 2011, the healthcare inequality among the working generation became large because even the middle-income class did not pay above the needs. We find that healthcare inequality is countercyclical for the working generation (and not for the retired generation). These results are important evidences to evaluate the current Japanese healthcare policy including upper bound of high-cost healthcare expenses.

Free Research Field

経済学、医療経済学、産業組織論