Japan Press Weekly

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2012 July 25 - 31 [POLITICS]

Gov’t intends to increase burden on nursing-care service users in addition to consumption tax hike

It has become clear that the government is planning to increase costs of the long-term care insurance system, while arguing that a consumption tax hike is needed to improve social security services.

Japanese Communist Party Councilor Tamura Tomoko took up this issue on July 25 in a House special committee meeting on the social security and taxation system.

Tamura pointed out that high fees for the nursing-care insurance service prevent many senior citizens from using the service though they are paying the insurance premium. She asked the government why it is unwilling to even reduce the service charges while raising the consumption tax rate.

Welfare Minister Komiyama Yoko said, the government’s bill of an “integrated reform” of social services and tax systems, including a consumption tax increase, “has no measures to lighten service users’ financial burdens”.

The JCP lawmaker referred to a list of items in revising the nursing-care insurance service, which was made by the Social Security Council, a governmental body, in November last year. The items are as follows: raising fees when a “person requiring support” uses the service; charging a service recipient for his/her care plan; and demanding payment of multiple room rates at special nursing homes. Tamura said, “More and more people will be excluded from the service.”

Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko took a so-what attitude, saying, “Basically, a person should pay the cost for his/her benefit.”

Tamura said, “Even if the number of service types increases, people cannot use the services because of their high cost. What do you think the public insurance service is for in the first place?”