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Unable to pay for their beds and meals, 519 people had to leave nursing homes

A survey published on April 11 by the Japanese Medical and Dental Practitioners for Improvement of Medical Care (Hodanren) shows that 519 people in 17 prefectures including Tokyo had to leave nursing care facilities because they could not afford to pay the cost for their beds and meals as a result of last year's adverse revision of the nursing care insurance system.

Hodanren surveyed 12,139 nursing care facilities, including those for day services and short stays, and about 15 percent responded. The surveyed period covered three months from October 2005, when people who use nursing care facilities had to begin to pay full costs for their beds and meals.

After they left the facilities, 220 people, or 42.4 percent, returned to their homes. By breakdown of degrees of care necessary, more than 30 percent of those who left are in need of a higher degree of care services. Although 53 percent have an annual income from pensions of more than 2.66 million yen, they are not qualified to receive the benefits of reduced burdens for using nursing care services.

Hodanren pointed out that medical and nursing care services for elderly people who have been recognized as in great need of help are facing difficulties. It stressed that costs for beds and meals should be covered by the nursing care insurance as before.

Hara Kazuto, vice president of Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (Min'iren), stated that the findings were indeed shocking. He said that things have gone to the opposite of the stated purpose of the nursing care insurance system: nursing services must be social and not just a family concern. He said that people in need of nursing care and having economic difficulty are those who have no choice but to give up on the nursing care they need. He said that at the least beds and meals should be covered by the nursing care insurance.

The requirement for paying the full cost for beds and meals at nursing homes was introduced by the Koizumi Cabinet in order to reduce the state expense. An estimate by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry shows that an occupant of a private room at a long-term nursing home will have to pay an extra 580,000 yen a year.
- Akahata, April 12, 2006