[The relationship between undergoing a basic health checkup based on the Health and Medical Services Law for the Aged and medical expenditure covered under the National Health Insurance in Japan].
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the relationship between undergoing the basic health checkup based on the Health and Medical Services Law for the Aged among urban residents and medical expenditure covered under the National Health Insurance in Japan.


METHODS
The subjects were all residents of a city with a population of three hundred and fifty thousand, covered by National Health Insurance and over forty years of age. Medical expenditure was compared by age and sex between examinees who had undergone the basic health checkup for the past three years running and non-examinees who had had no checkup. In addition, from the results of a questionnaire survey of randomly sampled citizens, we compared the living habits of the above two groups, the examinees and non-examinees.


RESULTS
For outpatients, the medical expenditure per case, the medical expenditure per capita for seniors, and the medical expenditure per day were lower, and the number of examination days per case and the examination rate (the number of receipts per capita) were higher in the examinee group than in the non-examinee group. For inpatients, the medical expenditure per case, the medical expenditure per capita, the medical expenditure per day for seniors, the number of examination days per case, and the examination rate were lower in the examinee group compared to the non-examinee group. The increase in medical expenditure with age was less in the examinee group than in the non-examinee group. In men, the examinees had significantly better living habits (especially exercise and meals) than the non-examinees. No differences in living habits were found in women.


CONCLUSIONS
Medical expenditure was lower among examinees than non-examinees. In men, regular examinees had better living habits than non-examinees.
Takeuchi
Kiyomi
K
Department of Health and Psychosocial Medicine, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000639:trends*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000191:economics; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics*; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000191:economics*