The Regional Differences of Demand for Health Care in Japan

Presenter: Akiko Yokota, Hiroshima University

Abstract

Rationale: There are regional differences of demand for health care in Japane. Economists often analize regional differences of demand for health care, and bring out that one of it's factors is number of doctor per unit of population. On the other hand, investigations in public health show that weather, contact with family, age of retirement, and something else have influence developping diseases. In Japan, states of weather, frequencies of contact with family, age of retirement vary considerably from one region to another. Consequently states of weather, frequencies of contact with family, and age of retirement are probabilities of factors of the regional differences of demand for health care in Japane. It shall be clear out.

Objectives: The objective of this paper is to bring out whether number of doctor per unit of population, states of weather, frequencies of contact with family, age of retirement, and household income are factors of religional differences of demand for health care or not.

Methodology: In regard to elderly people and children who spend many hours of the day at inhabitable area, it was estimated in Panel Data Models with using data of every municipality in the prefecture whether demand for health care correlate with number of doctor per population, state of weather, frequencies of contact with family, age ofretirement, and household income. Date is results of a survey by Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry in Japan from 2001 to 2005, and we got it from Hiroshima Prefecture.

Results: In the case of elderly people, demand of health care is corelate with number of doctor per population, family size, and household income. In case of children, that is correlate with number of doctor, and family size.

Conclusions: As number of doctor in the area is much, elderly people will visit hospitals or clinics as out-patient. Because access cost to doctor is lower. In the area of many doctor working, children's ill trend to be mildly, or children's parents not need for hospitalizing children because doctors work near their house. In the case of family size is large, elderly and children will make a choice not hospitalizing, but hospital visitting as out-patient, even if there are taken ill．Cnsequently, it was showed that there are number of doctor and family size as factor of the regional differences of demand for health care in Hiroshima.