The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term care services in municipalities before and after the introduction of Long-term Care Insurance for the elderly (LTCI) in April 2000, Questionnaires were sent to all municipalides in Japan in November 1999 (before the introduction of (LTCI) and in 2001(after the introduction of LTCI). The questions included the level of care needed for the elderly, the type of service (home or institution-based), and other factors related to the implementation of LTCI. Two hundred and sixty-five municipalities responded to both questionnaires were analyzed in this study. The proportion of elderly who needed care, the pmportion of elderly at care need level 5, and the average care-need level among certified increased and became less variable afterthe introduction of LTCl, In addition, there was a higher correlation between the proportion of elderly who needed care and the number of beds for long-term care per elderly population after the introduction of LTCI. The standardization of eligibility criteria and the changes in the financing system for care for the elderly served as background of these changes. These findings demonstrate that the introduction of LTCI had a significant impact on care for the elderly in municipalities in Japan.

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