The total amount of medical expenses covered by national health insurance in fiscal 2020 is estimated to have decreased more than 1 trillion yen compared with the previous year to about 42 trillion yen, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
The decrease is believed to stem from the fact that people have refrained from visiting hospitals and doctors' offices amid the COVID-19 outbreak. It is on track to comprise the largest such drop in history, the ministry said.
The medical expenses have continued to rise due to the aging of the population and the availability of expensive, high-tech medical treatments, leading to a record high of 43.6 trillion yen in fiscal 2019.
However, in the 11 months through February 2021, these expenses had decreased by 1.6 trillion yen from the previous year. Even taking into account an expected increase in March, the full-year decrease is estimated to exceed 1 trillion yen.
On a monthly basis, medical expenses decreased 8.8% from the previous year in April 2020, when the government declared a nationwide state of emergency. They also dropped 11.9% year on year in May 2020.
While medical expenditures gradually increased over the following months, they decreased by 4.7% and 4.4%, in January and February 2021, respectively -- when the second state of emergency was issued for Tokyo and other areas.
In particular, patients refrained from visiting pediatricians and otolaryngologists -- ear, nose and throat specialists -- which contributed greatly to the total decline in madical expenditures.
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