Japan May Increase Elderly with 30 Pct Medical Cost Burdens

Tokyo, Sept. 13 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government will consider expanding the range of elderly people required to bear 30 pct of their medical costs in an outline of measures to deal with the aging population adopted Friday.

Under the current public health insurance system, people aged 75 or over pay in principle 10 pct of the costs for the medical treatments they received. Those exceeding certain levels of incomes are required to bear 20 pct, and those with preretirement levels of income pay 30 pct.

The government will consider expanding the range of elderly people required to bear 30 pct by fiscal 2028, given that such a measure is included in its social security reform road map, decided last year.

As the number of elderly people living alone is expected to rise further, the government will promote the creation of places for such people to stay, in order to prevent unwanted loneliness and social isolation.

In the outline, the government said it will also expand support for people who have no relatives to depend on, including by instructing guarantor service providers to operate properly in order to prevent problems between such businesses and elderly users from happening.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]