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The roles of public and private insurance for the health-care reform of Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Eiji Tajika

    (Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo)

  • Jun Kikuchi

    (National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Tokyo)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main features of Japanese health-care system and to present a direction for reform. It offers the following three as the distinct features of Japanese health-care system: the first is that pubic insurance dominates the health- care market; the second is that insurers fail to play the role as an agent of patients; and the third is that health-care costs has been contained by the price control in a centralized fashion. Based on the conceptualization and the practice of the roles of public and private health-care insurances, it looks into the construction of Japanese health-care system. One of its major findings is that many apparently different problems in Japan have stemmed from the government's significant subsidies to insurers. As for the direction of reform, restoring the cost-reflecting premium is an important step toward a virtuous circle that would ultimately lead to a more sustainable health-care system in Japan.

Suggested Citation

  • Eiji Tajika & Jun Kikuchi, 2012. "The roles of public and private insurance for the health-care reform of Japan," Public Policy Review, Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance Japan, vol. 8(2), pages 123-144, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:mof:journl:ppr016a
    as

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    File URL: http://warp.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/10248500/www.mof.go.jp/english/pri/publication/pp_review/ppr016/ppr016a.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Flood, Colleen M. & Haugan, Amanda, 2010. "Is Canada odd? A comparison of European and Canadian approaches to choice and regulation of the public/private divide in health care," Health Economics, Policy and Law, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(3), pages 319-341, July.
    2. Valérie Paris & Marion Devaux & Lihan Wei, 2010. "Health Systems Institutional Characteristics: A Survey of 29 OECD Countries," OECD Health Working Papers 50, OECD Publishing.
    3. Oecd, 2004. "Private Health Insurance in OECD Countries: The Benefits and Costs for Individuals and Health Systems," Financial Market Trends, OECD Publishing, vol. 2004(2), pages 125-197.
    4. Nicola Brandt, 2008. "Moving Towards more Sustainable Healthcare Financing in Germany," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 612, OECD Publishing.
    5. Francesca Colombo & Nicole Tapay, 2004. "Private Health Insurance in OECD Countries: The Benefits and Costs for Individuals and Health Systems," OECD Health Working Papers 15, OECD Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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