Japan to Raise Health Insurance Premiums for High-Income Elderly

Tokyo, Oct. 28 (Jiji Press)--Japan's health ministry Friday proposed raising the upper limit on health insurance premiums paid by high-income earning people aged 75 years or older from 660,000 yen per year at present.

The ministry also proposed raising the share of health insurance premiums paid by all people aged 75 years or older from 10 pct at present. The remaining 90 pct is currently covered by payments from working generations and taxpayer money.

The proposed reform is designed to ease the burden on working generations while making the country's health care system sustainable as medical expenses are expected to grow further due to an aging and declining population.

Under the reform, the amount of contributions paid by major companies' health insurance societies to medical expenses on people aged between 65 and 74 years will be raised.

The ministry separately proposed raising the upper limit on premiums under the "kokumin kenko hoken" national health insurance program paid by high-income earners by 20,000 yen to 1.04 million yen per year in fiscal 2023, which starts next April. The sum includes nursing care insurance premiums.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]