Japan Panel Advises Govt to Raise Medical Fees amid Inflation

Tokyo, Feb. 13 (Jiji Press)–An advisory panel to Japan’s health minister on Friday recommended raising medical fees under the country’s health insurance system to reflect rising prices and support wage increases for medical workers. According to the recommendations by the Central Social Insurance Medical Council, the fee for a follow-up hospital visit would rise by 10 yen, while the basic hospitalization fee would increase by up to 3,240 yen per day. New surcharges would be added to first-time and follow-up visit fees and the basic hospitalization fee at all medical institutions. These would be implemented in two stages, in fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027. Food charges for inpatients would rise by 40 yen per meal, while utility charges for long-term inpatients aged 65 or older would go up 60 yen per day. Existing surcharges introduced as part of the fiscal 2024 medical fee revision, which can be collected by medical institutions raising basic wages for nurses, would increase while institutions raising wages for doctors under 40 would also become eligible to charge such levies. Measures proposed by the panel would increase financial burdens on patients. For instance, the basic fee for first-time patients at medical institutions that have continuously raised wages since fiscal 2024 would rise from the current 2,970 yen to 3,160 yen in fiscal 2026 and to 3,350 yen in fiscal 2027. As a result, out-of-pocket payments by patients required to cover 30 pct of medical costs would rise from 891 yen to 948 yen in fiscal 2026 and to 1,005 yen in fiscal 2027. Meanwhile, hospitals collaborating with clinics in depopulated areas to admit patients would be allowed to impose additional charges. Hospitals offering around-the-clock emergency services would also receive higher compensation. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]