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 in fiscal 2026, the first increase in 12 years. Katayama and Ueno 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. The two ministers also agreed to raise the maximum monthly out-of-pocket medical expenses by some 7-38 pct, depending on income, 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. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]