Does Medical Subsidy for Children and Infants Affect Child Health?

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25780199
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Public finance/Public economy
• Research Institution: Institute for Health Economics and Policy, Association for Health Economics Rsearch and Social Insurance and Welfare
• Principal Investigator: TAKAKU Reo 一般財団法人医療経済研究・社会保険福祉協会(医療経済研究機構(研究部)), その他部局等, 研究員 (80645086)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 乳幼児医療費助成 / 自己負担 / 子ども / 健康

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the first year of the research project (FY2013), I organized an original survey for all prefectures and municipalities in order to reveal how eligibility criteria of the Medical Subsidy for Children and Infants (MSCI) has been expanded since 1995. In FY2014, I matched the regional variation of those eligibility criteria with the data on child health outcomes and investigate whether the expansion of MSCI are associated with child health or not. Statistical analysis finds no effects of MSCI on several health outcomes such as subjective symptoms, probability of hospitalization and subjective health among school-aged children. On the other hand, MSCI seems to decrease the probability of having any symptoms among preschool children. Further empirical researches are needed to reveal health effects of the MSCI.

Free Research Field

医療経済学