過去最高の４４兆３８９５億円　１９年度国民医療費―厚労省

　厚生労働省は９日、２０１９年度に病気やけがの治療で医療機関に支払われた国民医療費（確定値）が、前年度比２．３％増の４４兆３８９５億円だったと発表した。人口１人当たりでは２．５％増の３５万１８００円に達し、いずれも過去最高を更新した。
　高齢化の進展や医療の高度化などで国民医療費の増加傾向が続いており、４０兆円を超えるのは７年連続だ。厚労省によると、本格的に感染が拡大する前だった新型コロナウイルスの影響はないという。
　年齢階層別では、６５歳以上の高齢者の総額が２７兆６２９億円で全体の約６割を占めた。１人当たりでは６５歳未満が１９万１９００円だったのに対し、６５歳以上は７５万４２００円で４倍近い水準だった。（2021/11/09-16:28）

Medical fees paid to hospitals and clinics in Japan in fiscal 2019 grew 2.3 pct from the preceding year to a record 44,389.5 billion yen, the health ministry said in a final report Tuesday.
   In the year to March 2020, per capita medical expenses rose 2.5 pct to 351,800 yen, also a record high.
   The country's medical costs exceeded 40 trillion yen for the seventh consecutive year, reflecting the aging of its population and advances in medical technologies.
   The COVID-19 pandemic had little impact on the fiscal 2019 results as the novel coronavirus was not fully spreading in the country at the time.
   Medical costs for people aged 65 or over came to 27,062.9 billion yen, accounting for some 60 pct of the total. Per capita expenses stood at 754,200 yen for people in the age group, far more than 191,900 yen for those aged 64 or under.