Doctors can no longer put up with government playing tricks with medical 'reform' -- Akahata editorial, March 17 (excerpts)

Calls on the Koizumi Cabinet to step down are increasing even among those who used to constitute the support base for the governing Liberal Democratic Party because the cabinet persistently ignores the public demand for a revocation of the planned increase in insured patients' payment for medical services to 30 percent from the present 20 percent.

The Hokkaido Medical Association in its regular general meeting of delegates adopted a resolution calling for the Koizumi Cabinet to resign. The Nagoya City Medical Association also demanded an immediate resignation of Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro.

As the "30 percent" provision will take effect in two weeks, calls for a moratorium are increasing. Fifteen prefectural assemblies, including Hokkaido, have adopted resolutions demanding a freeze, in spite of obstructions from majority parties, particularly the Komei Party.

The Hokkaido Medical Association resolution states: "We can no longer support the Koizumi Cabinet or keep putting up with its tricks that mislead us into believing that hope awaits past pain."

The LDP-Komei coalition is blackmailing the public into believing that the medical insurance system will go bankrupt financially.

Questioned by Japanese Communist Party member Koike Akira in the House of Councilors Budget Committee, the government had to admit that shortfalls in revenue from insurance premiums are the biggest cause of the difficulty in funding the health insurance system.

A rough comparison between FY 2002 and FY 2003 shows that the insurance dues declined by more than 100 billion yen, while the increase in the national medical expense was only 20 billion yen.

The gap is caused by the drop in the number of workers under the government-managed health insurance plan for company employees because workers' wages are falling and the prolonged economic recession is worsening with corporate restructuring is going on under the Koizumi Cabinet's policy of writing off bad debts.

The government and the ruling parties are not willing to balance the budget: they are, instead, using the shortage of funds for the insurance system as a means of blackmailing the people into accepting the increased burden. What they must do now is to listen to the people and freeze the planned increase in insured patients' burden for medical costs. (end)