1994 Volume 1 Pages 107-118
Medical expenditures of those elderly who died during March 1991 and February 1992 were analyzed using the micro data obtained by the Research Project on Medical Expenditure of the Elderly. The share of expenditures used for the deceased elderly was about 11 percent of the total expenditures of the elderly. It was observed that inpatient expenditures were dominant among deceased elderly, and the share increased as month of death approached. In average, per day expenditures for the months prior to the death of elderly people increased gradually as month of death approached for each age group. Detailed analysis on inpatient expenditures of deceased elderly, however, showed that a sharp increase in per day expenditures occurred for only 20 to 25 percent of them. Moreover, such increase started at late stage: only 2 months before death. The situation is thought to be quite different form USA for example, and this feature might be one of the major factors which contribute to keep Japanese medical expenditures at the present low level. The equitable distribution of medical expenditures between survivors and the deceased needs to be researched from various perspectives.
