170,000 elderly in arrears with new medical insurance premiums

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

170,000 elderly in arrears with new medical insurance premiums

The Japanese Medical and Dental Practitioners for Improvement of Medical Care (Hodanren) on January 19 published a survey revealing that about 170,000 people are unable to pay the premiums on the new health insurance program for the elderly aged 75 and older.

"Most of those who are in arrears are on a fixed low-income, and it is clear that the new system is threatening their health and livelihoods," said Hodanren.

Temporary insurance certificates are issued to those who are in arrears with the premiums for more than one year. But holders of this certificate pay the full amount of the cost for medical treatment they receive at hospitals or clinics, and 70 percent of the cost is refunded later. This system is tantamount to leaving them uninsured because they cannot pay the initial full cost for treatment.

Hodanren is demanding that their regular insurance cards should not be invalidated and that the current system separating the elderly aged 75 and over from the National Health Insurance should be abolished.

Commenting on the findings of the Hodanren survey, Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Koike Akira said, "Before the introduction of the new system, elderly people's National Health Insurance cards could not be invalidated because it was thought to be a life-threatening measure. To take regular insurance cards away from people in need goes against the basis of humanitarianism."

Arguing that forcing the elderly to pay the premiums is unreasonable, Koike demanded the abolition of the discriminatory system.

- Akahata, January 20, 2009