Beneficiary-pays principle of nursing insurance law prevents low-income elderly from receiving care: JCP Nihi

Japan Press Weekly

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Beneficiary-pays principle of nursing insurance law prevents low-income elderly from receiving care: JCP Nihi

Japanese Communist Party representative Nihi Sohei on February 4 at a House of Councilors committee meeting took up the issue of low-income elderly who are deprived of nursing care services.

Nihi pointed out that the total number of double suicides due to fatigue and stress associated with having to provide nursing care has reached 400 since the inauguration of the nursing insurance system in 2000, and that in 2006, 144,800 people were forced to quit their jobs to take care of a family member.

Nihi criticized the system for depriving low-income elderly people of opportunities to receive nursing care services because they are forced to pay 10% of the cost of the nursing care services they use.

Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio in his reply said that the low-income earner’s maximum payment for services is only 15,000 yen.

Nihi explained that for the low-income elderly, it is hard to pay even 10,000 yen because premiums for the nursing insurance and the discriminatory health insurance for the elderly aged 75 and over are automatically deducted from average of 48,000 yen of monthly pension benefits. He urged the government to take measures to reduce the financial burdens of the nursing care insurance system and to provide free nursing care services for low-income earners.

In addition, pointing out the fact that the care workers’ wage level is 60% of that of all other industry workers, and that due to such a low wage, one out of five care workers gives up their jobs annually, Nihi demanded that the government take the initiative to increase their wages by 40,000 yen monthly.

- Akahata, February 5, 2010