INTERVIEW: Kenporen Seeks Medical Insurance Reform Talks

Tokyo, July 6 (Jiji Press)–Japan should engage in discussions involving all stakeholders on whether and how to reform its public medical insurance system, Takashi Yonekawa, deputy head of the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies, or Kenporen, said in a recent interview. Yonekawa’s call came after a Kenporen survey, conducted online in January, showed that 37.1 pct of respondents view higher medical expenditures for elderly people as inevitable. The proportion reached 40.0 pct when respondents are limited to those aged 75 or older. In principle, the out-of-pocket medical payment rate under the current public medical insurance system is set at 30 pct for people aged under 70, 20 pct for those between 70 and 74 and 10 pct for those aged 75 or older. Those aged 70 or older who have high incomes pay more than their baseline rates. The survey, which received 3,000 responses, was conducted amid discussions within the government and ruling parties on possibly hiking out-of-pocket payment rates for the elderly. “The working generation feels the heavy burden (of payments) but is not seeking to place an excessive burden on the elderly,” Yonekawa said. “On the other hand, elderly people feel that their burden is too light.” “Both sides are viewing (the current situation) calmly,” he added. Yonekawa said that some people aged 75 can work while some in their 60s cannot. “It is unreasonable to set the shares of burdens solely on the basis of age,” he argued. Kenporen is calling for a gradual increase in out-of-pocket payments for the elderly to establish a uniform payment rate of 30 pct for all ages in principle, along with mitigation measures based on people’s incomes. The survey also found 54.4 pct of respondents did not know that local government subsidies for children’s medical expenses as part of child-rearing support only cover out-of-pocket payments, with the remaining expenses financed with insurance premiums paid by those enrolled in public medical insurance. “It is only natural to take your children to see a doctor when they have a fever,” Yonekawa said. However, he added that it is also important to practice self-medication, the use of drugs to deal with self-diagnosed conditions without consulting a doctor. He argued that if all generations keep this in mind, it will help optimize health care spending. “The good thing about the universal health insurance system is that people can go to medical institutions whenever they get sick,” Yonekawa said. “I don’t mean at all to deny that, but it’s necessary to consider the most reasonable method possible to maintain the system.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]