The government adopted an outline of a social security reform bill Wednesday prior to its submission to the Diet's extraordinary session in the fall, officials said.
The outline is based on a proposal earlier this month by the National Council on Social Security System Reform for specific reform measures, including greater contributions from the elderly and high-income earners to make the system more sustainable.
After the bill is enacted, the government will submit legislation for specific reform measures in and beyond 2014.
The outline calls for some measures that may be implemented without legislative action. They include a hike in payments by patients aged 70 to 74 at hospitals, possibly in fiscal 2014.
The outline also envisages that revisions to nursing care and health insurance laws will be submitted to the Diet in fiscal 2014 and 2015.