June 8, 2022

The Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers’ group on June 7 submitted to the House of Councilors a bill to put a stop to the implementation of a system that raises out-of-pocket medical expenses for the elderly aged 75 and over to 20% from the current 10%.

The government plans to put the system into effect in October. The JCP-proposed bill stipulates measures taken by the government to cancel the plan.

At a press conference after the submission, JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira pointed out that as the medical fee increase covers 3.7 million elderly people, if it is carried out as planned, their annual payment will increase by about 52,000 yen per person, amounting to 190 billion yen.

Koike said, “The imposition of a heavier burden for medical expenditures on the elderly amid the current price surge will cause elderly people to hesitate to see doctors, which endangers the elderly’s right to live. The planned increase in medical fees should be cancelled.”

Past related articles:
> Elderly carry out sit-in to block gov’t from doubling their burden for medical payments [November 18, 2021]
> Amid pandemic, bill to impose on elderly heavier medical burdens forcibly enacted [June 5, 2021]