Japanese Ministers Agree to Raise Medical Service Fees

Tokyo, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and health minister Kenichiro Ueno agreed Wednesday to raise medical service fees by 2.22 pct for a fiscal 2026 review. The two ministers agreed to increase the main portion of the fees, which mainly cover labor costs for medical workers, by an annual average of 3.09 pct over the two years from the fiscal year starting next April, while lowering official drug prices by 0.87 pct. The core portion of the fees will be raised by 3 pct or more for the first time in 30 years, a step designed to help hospitals cope with rising prices and raise wages for medical workers. Specifically, it will be raised by 2.41 pct in fiscal 2026 and 3.77 pct in fiscal 2027. Medical fees are reviewed every two years in principle. The decision to raise medical fees will not lead to an increase in insurance premiums, Ueno said at a press conference. “Premium revenues are growing due to wage increases,” he said. The two ministers also agreed to raise the maximum monthly out-of-pocket medical expenses by some 7-38 pct, depending on income, starting as early as August next year. They also agreed to set annual upper limits for medical expenses to help those undergoing long-term treatment. For the average annual income bracket of 3.7 million to 7.7 million yen, the annual maximum will be 530,000 yen. The government will also raise fees paid to nursing care service providers by 2.03 pct and those for disability welfare services by 1.84 pct, an increase expected to push up monthly care worker wages by up to 19,000 yen. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]