Protective effects of health insurance against disasters: an insight from the Great East Japan Earthquake

Abstract

The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 and it's massive tidal waves wreaked devastating damage on residences and communities along 400 km of the Pacific coast in Japan. Using the panel data from the Japanese Study of Aging and Retirement, we estimate the effects of this disaster on individual health, finding a significant negative impact on the health of those in the area. In addition, we exploit a discontinuous decrease in copayments for medical care at the age of 70 years and find that the reduction in copayment increased medical and long-term care utilization and significantly reduced health deterioration after the earthquake.