October 7, 2020

The number of people aged 65 and over whose assets were seized due to arreas in paying nursing-care insurance premiums in 2018 hit a record high of 19,221. Many of them are low-income earners.

This was shown in data submitted by the Welfare Ministry to Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Tamura Tomoko.

Among people aged 65 and older who are covered by the public nursing-care insurance program, about 90% do not fail to make premium payments because they have their premiums automatically deducted from their pension benefits. On the other hand, people with no pension benefits and people with a yearly pension of less than 180,000 yen need to pay their premiums by using payment slips. Consequently, they are likely to become delinquent in their premium payments.

Along with asset confiscation, persons who failed to pay nursing-care insurance premiums face penalties including the suspension of the use of nursing-care services in accordance with the length of their individually determined grace periods.

According to the Welfare Ministry data, in 2018, 14,321 people suffered penalties. Of them, 5,000 were welfare recipients and people whose annual income is below 800,000 yen.

Past related articles:
> Elderly and disabled account for 70% of households on welfare [ November 7, 2019]
> Number of elderly experiencing asset seizure due to arrears in public health insurance premium increases eightfold [August 11, 2019]
> Koike grills PM Abe about gov’t report admitting to insufficient pension benefits [June 11, 2019]