JAPANESE MEDICAL COSTS UP 7.6%

For the 1992 fiscal year, the total for Japanese medical expenses was 23,478 billion yen ($233.72 billion), a rise of 7.6% on the year earlier, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which said this was the first time in 10 years that medical expenses grew more than 7% over the previous year.

The big rise in medical spending is attributed to higher medical fees and the growing population, particularly the greater number of older people. The Ministry noted that the ratio of medical spending to the national income was at an all-time high of 6.5%. It also pointed out that expenses covered by the insurance program for over-75-year-olds accounted for 20.7% or 6,734 billion yen, a rise of 8.1% on fiscal 1991. Expenses covered by medical insurance for salaried workers and their dependents accounted for 32.8% of the total, according to the Japan Times, and the ratio of those covered by the insurance for self-employed people was 22.7%. Expenses for people who bore the costs themselves amounted to 11.8% of the total.

Excluding pharmaceutical and dental costs, medical expenses amounted to 20,317 billion yen, with people aged over 65 accounting for around 8,500 billion yen, the MHW stated. And medical expenses for people aged over 70 accounted for one-third of the total.