Health Insurance Likely to Be Kept Applied to OTC-Like Drugs

Tokyo, Nov. 27 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese government subcommittee on public health insurance on Thursday basically agreed to ask patients for additional payment for prescription medicines whose ingredients and effects are similar to over-the-counter drugs while maintaining insurance coverage for them. Based on the opinion of the subcommittee of the Social Security Council, which advises the health minister, the government and the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no kai (Japan Innovation Party) plan to draw up by year-end a framework for revising the insurance application to OTC-like prescription drugs. Negotiations will likely be difficult, however, as Nippon Ishin aims to significantly reduce medical costs, and there are opinions within the party that insurance should not be applied to OTC-like drugs. Currently, OTC-like drugs prescribed by doctors are covered by insurance, with patients paying only 10-30 pct of the drugs’ prices out of their pockets. If such medicines are excluded from insurance coverage, patients will need to purchase OTC drugs that are more expensive. The Japan Medical Association and organizations of patients have strongly opposed the revision, claiming that patients’ diseases may become worse as patients may buy drugs without prescriptions and stop seeing doctors. The government and the ruling camp plan to begin full-scale discussions on details of the revised scheme, including the scope of drugs subject to additional charges. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]